In a recent article, Saudi writer Abdullah Bin Bijad Al-Otaibi launched a harsh attack on Hamas and the Lebanese Hezbollah, openly defending what he described as “Israel’s right” to conduct its assaults on Gaza and Lebanon.
Writing in Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper under the headline “Gaza and Lebanon… Cold Facts in a Heated Scene,” Al-Otaibi argued that Israel’s actions are part of a broader struggle against the “Axis of Resistance,” which, he claimed, has spent decades spreading its cells, organizations, and militias across the Arab world, successfully instilling a political ideology within groups aligned with political Islam.
Al-Otaibi characterized Hamas and Hezbollah as “armed groups and military militias” that do not operate like conventional armies with independent military bases and forces positioned away from civilians. Instead, he claimed, they “hide behind civilians, deliberately putting their lives in imminent danger.” According to Al-Otaibi, these groups do not consult the populations they claim to represent, even when undertaking reckless and dangerous actions.
He continued by stating, “Another fact that is often overlooked is that these are Israel’s wars, aimed at protecting its own people, interests, and state, not just the wars of Benjamin Netanyahu or the Israeli far-right. It is peculiar that supporters of the Axis of Resistance celebrate any protests within Israel against this war, as if those who seek to kill them in every operation would come to their defense. This is one of the paradoxes of our strange times, where the distortion of facts has become a consistent methodology, not only among ideologically blinded masses but also among some political elites, writers, and analysts who have been exposed before the Arab public.”
Al-Otaibi dismissed any discussion of Israeli losses in the war or the growing capabilities of the resistance in Lebanon and Gaza as “promotion of myths and illusions.”
He further aligned himself with the Israeli narrative, stating, “Another cold fact is that, from a legal standpoint, Hamas is part of the Muslim Brotherhood, and Hezbollah is aligned with a camp hostile to Arab states and peoples. They have been responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Arab civilians, and their leaders have publicly declared policies that are antagonistic towards Gulf states, explicitly naming them and deeming their conflict with these states more significant than their fight against Israel. Their statements are documented, recorded, and easily accessible for anyone who wishes to see them.”
He added, “Hezbollah has trained, armed, and funded militias that targeted Saudi Arabia and the UAE with missiles and drones. They boast about these actions, making no effort to hide them. Some of the individuals targeted by Israel are well-known figures to the Gulf public, who recognize them by name and face, aware that these were the same individuals launching rockets at their peaceful countries.”
Al-Otaibi concluded his article with a provocative statement: “There is neither dignity nor courage in provoking a powerful enemy only to hide from them under the beds of the elderly and in children’s playgrounds.”
