Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's recent statements, including remarks perceived as dismissive of Saudi Arabia and a controversial comment about "Arabs and camels," have drawn sharp criticism from political opponents and raised concerns about diplomatic relations, particularly as US Vice President Vance concluded his visit to the region. Smotrich's stance against a Palestinian state and his apparent preference for Hamas over normalization with Saudi Arabia have been highlighted as detrimental to Israel's future. These developments occurred between 11:01 AM and 12:01 PM UTC on October 23rd, 2025. During this reporting period, Yair Lapid stated that Smotrich "does not represent the State of Israel" to "friends in Saudi Arabia and in the Middle East." Benny Gantz criticized Smotrich's statements as "ignorance" and a lack of "internalization of his responsibility as a senior minister," advocating for a government "free of extremists." Yair Golan echoed these sentiments, arguing that the coalition's policy "chooses Hamas and Qatar in Gaza" over normalization with Saudi Arabia, and that Smotrich's actions "reward Hamas" and "will help it maintain its rule in the Strip." Discussions regarding Gaza's future also emerged, with a report from "Security news from the field without censorship" suggesting that US Vice President Vance's idea involves taking areas without Hamas presence and beginning construction, with a hope to build Rafah within "two to three years." This follows Vance's strong condemnation of a recent Knesset vote to annex the West Bank, which he called "unacceptable" and a "stupid political exercise" while departing Israel on October 23rd, 2025. Previous reports indicated Vance's remarks were made before he departed Israel, following an IDF drone strike in southern Gaza that killed a Palestinian operative. In parallel, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed earlier this morning that during an operation in Hebron over the past week, they confiscated approximately 165,700 shekels in terrorist funds and a copy of Adolf Hitler's manifesto "Mein Kampf" from the offices of the "Islamic Charity Association," which the IDF identified as an operational arm of Hamas involved in promoting incitement and channeling funds for terrorist activities. The IDF stated that troops also seized incitement equipment and sealed the organization's compound. A senior Israeli official had also expressed doubt this morning regarding the continuation of UNRWA operations in Gaza, despite a recent International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling mandating Israel permit the agency's activities and not having proven a significant portion of its employees are Hamas members. The official's comments suggested a potential divergence between the ICJ's directive and Israel's stance on UNRWA's role in the Strip.
