Diplomats and activists in human rights organizations have revealed that Saudi authorities have escalated their arrest campaign due to posts on social media criticizing Israel in light of its war on the Gaza Strip.
According to Bloomberg, Saudi authorities have increasingly arrested Saudi citizens for expressing anti-Israel sentiments on social media platforms in recent months.
The agency mentioned that among the recent detainees is an executive of a company participating in the Saudi government’s plan to boost the economy.
According to the agency, the executive made comments about the Gaza war that were considered provocative by Saudi authorities.
Another detainee urged Saudi citizens to boycott American-owned brands operating in the kingdom.
A source close to the Saudi government told Bloomberg that the arrests stem from concerns that Iran-aligned influences would jeopardize the country’s security.
The report indicates that there are no precise figures on the number of arrests made since October 7, the start date of Israel’s war on Gaza.
This campaign comes at a time when the United States continues to work with Riyadh to find a path to normalization with Israel.
Israeli media has confirmed that Saudi Arabia has decided to openly normalize ties with Israel, with only the timing remaining to be determined, in line with Saudi Arabia’s covert policies towards Tel Aviv.
According to the Hebrew newspaper “Haaretz,” citing a foreign diplomat, the kingdom is expected to demand guarantees to ensure tangible progress on the Palestinian state issue in return. “The question is when, and the decision should be made within days.”
A foreign diplomat familiar with the details stated that Saudi Arabia has decided to normalize relations with Israel but is debating whether to implement this step in the coming weeks or after the U.S. presidential elections in November.
According to the newspaper, Saudi Arabia is expected to demand guarantees to ensure clear progress on the Palestinian state issue in return.
According to the diplomat, “Saudi Arabia has decided to reach an agreement with Israel. It’s a preliminary strategic step in rapprochement with the United States, and the kingdom is interested in achieving it.”
He added, “The question is when, and the decision should be made within days.”
The diplomat stated that the discussion within the Saudi government revolves around whether to deliver this “sweetener” to President [Joe] Biden, who may not be re-elected or to await the next president, assuming that Biden loses.
He added, “The Saudis are considering whether an agreement with Israel, assuming its demands are met, will not be seen as aiding Biden’s political campaign, which could harm relations with the incoming president.”
However, he said, “Any elected president will be able to provide the Saudi government with more significant benefits after the election campaign ends.”
The US Influence
The United States and Saudi Arabia have been working intensively together over the past month on Israeli-Saudi normalization, said Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday at a special meeting of the World Economic Forum held in Riyadh, adding that the bilateral U.S.-Saudi effort on normalization is nearing completion.
During a conversation with the president of the World Economic Forum, Børge Brende, he said, “When it comes to normalization, I won’t speak on behalf of our hosts here, but I will say that we have been working intensively together over the past months.”
He continued, “For normalization to move forward, two things will be needed: calm in Gaza and a reliable path to a Palestinian state. So, to the extent that we conclude our work, what was a hypothetical or theoretical question suddenly becomes real. People will have to make decisions.”
Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said the security agreement between his country and the United States is very close.
He added, “Most of the work has already been accomplished. We have the broad outlines of what we believe should happen regarding the Palestinian issue.”
The foreign minister also stated that the Palestinian Authority will need support and assistance, and the kingdom will find it difficult to commit to providing it without “clarity regarding the path to a Palestinian state.”
According to him, any entity responsible for Gaza at the end of the war must be credible to avoid being seen as an occupying force, thus necessitating discussion of the matter now and providing a clear political horizon for the Palestinians, not just future security arrangements.
Furthermore, the foreign minister mentioned that the war in Gaza has created a humanitarian crisis and even led to a “complete collapse of the political system” in the Strip.
He added that Riyadh believes that resolving the crisis should involve “providing a reliable and irreversible path to establish a Palestinian state.”
Haaretz mentioned that attempts to normalize with Israel are a key step for the kingdom to secure what Riyadh considers the real prize for the American defense pact in return.
Securing a normalization deal with the kingdom would be Israel’s “big prize” after establishing diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco.
