Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Israeli media, citing the occupation army: We tried to "eliminate" Hamas spokesperson Abu Obeida
Al-Mashat: I call on everyone worldwide to avoid dealing with any assets of the entity, and there is still an opportunity for settlers to return to their countries
Al-Mashat: A final warning to all companies in the occupation entity to leave before it’s too late
The Israeli occupation army carries out a deadly airstrike on a populated residential building in the densely populated al-Rimal neighborhood, west of Gaza City, resulting in dozens of fatalities and injuries: Al Mayadeen's correspondent
Al-Mashat: We say to Gaza, we stand firm regarding our stance, no matter the sacrifices
Al-Mashat: We will meet challenge with challenge, and you will no longer have any sense of security
Al-Mashat: We say to the Zionists, our revenge is unyielding, and dark days await you
Al-Mashat: We will take revenge, and we will come out victorious from the depths of our wounds
Al-Mashat: Our people are capable of overcoming all difficulties and challenges, and the enemy will not be able to break our steadfastness, nor will we be intimidated by raids or terrified by threats
President of the Yemeni Supreme Political Council Mahdi al-Mashat: The Government of Change and Building will carry out its duties in a caretaker capacity, and the blood of the martyrs will serve as a motivation for steadfastness and reconstruction

MBS' 'vision' of sudden homelessness, no compensation

  • By Al Mayadeen Net
  • Source: Agencies
  • 22 Apr 2022 09:55
  • 3 Shares
4 Min Read

The Saudi government targets 30+ Jeddah neighborhoods with demolition, many of which house a mix of Saudis and foreigners from other Arab countries and Asia.

  • x
  • 30+ neighborhoods have been targeted, many of which housed a mix of Saudis and foreigners from other Arab countries and Asia
    30+ neighborhoods have been targeted, many of which housed a mix of Saudis and foreigners from other Arab countries and Asia

A $20-billion clearance and construction project that stands to displace half-a-million people in Saudi Arabia's second city - Jeddah - has prompted rare expressions of public anger in the Kingdom, reported AFP.

Saudi authorities pitch the development as the latest "ambitious" project of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, one that will replace "slums" with amenities like a stadium, an oceanarium, and an opera house.

#SaudiArabia : Sunset in #Jeddah through the haze of dust from demolitions #جدة_الأن #هدد_جدة pic.twitter.com/rF68JBGDjP

— sebastian usher (@sebusher) April 21, 2022

Strangers in our own city

In coastal Jeddah, where crushed concrete and twisted metal now line affected streets, residents talk about official descriptions of their lost neighborhoods as undesirable dens of drugs and crime.

They accuse the government of destroying vibrant, diverse working-class districts that once burnished Jeddah's reputation as the most open destination in the conservative country.

"We have become strangers in our own city. We feel suffering and bitterness," expressed a doctor, who is now renting accommodation while still paying $400 a month on his personal loan.

The Saudi doctor still had 15 years left on the loan he used to build his family's "dream" home in Jeddah when bulldozers razed it to the ground, turning his life into a living "hell".

#SaudiArabia : Demolition of entire districts in #Jeddah no longer seems to attract much attention- this large apartment block brought down in huge cloud of dust as cars go by on flyover next to it #هدد_جدة pic.twitter.com/zA2v0BFFkG

— sebastian usher (@sebusher) April 15, 2022

The prospects of renegotiating the loan or claiming compensation remain unclear, added the doctor, who did not want to be identified for fear of retaliation from the Saudi authorities. 

Paused for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the demolitions are expected to pick up again in May.

30+ neighborhoods targeted

Jeddah is a lively tourist hub of beachfront restaurants and galleries that have, in the past months, hosted a major film festival and a Formula One Grand Prix. 

Related News

Arab, Islamic countries announce different Ramadan start dates

Erdogan to break fast in Damascus on 1st day of Ramadan: Reports

Thirty-plus neighborhoods have been targeted, many of which once housed a mix of Saudis and foreigners from other Arab countries and Asia.

Evicted residents had been living in their homes for up to 60 years, highlighted ALQST for Human Rights.

Some were driven out when their power and water were cut off, or threatened with jail for disobeying an eviction order, ALQST added.

"Suddenly expelled"

In the city's southern Galil neighborhood, which saw the first demolitions last October, a resident who gave his name as Fahd said security forces had confiscated mobile phones to prevent the footage from getting out.

"We were suddenly expelled from our homes overnight and without warning," he told AFP.

By early this year, though, the news was circulating widely, with the hashtag "#hadad_jeddah", or "Jeddah_demolition" in Arabic, trending on Twitter.

شراهة بن سلمان وجشعه وشهيته المفتوحه للدمار بدأت ب #الحويطات_ضد_ترحيل_نيوم ثم قتل عبدالرحيم الحويطي على مرأى من اهله ولن تنتهي بجده، كذالك المدينه المنوره قريباً.
رصوا صفوفكم اخرجوا لشوارع رافضين منددين صوروا وإنشروا. #إزالة_الاحياء#هدد_جدةpic.twitter.com/Z77mWjUuHx

— علياء أبوتايه الحويطي (@Alya_Alhwaiti) January 13, 2022

Ali Al-Ahmad, a Saudi activist and scholar at the Institute for Gulf Affairs in Washington, has led online efforts to publicize details of the demolitions.

"It is not acceptable to demolish citizens' homes without their consent, and before compensating them at an appropriate price sufficient to move them to a new place," he considered.

"Evacuate"

During a recent visit to one neighborhood rocked by demolitions, an AFP journalist saw multiple blocks where most buildings had been leveled. 

On several of those still standing, authorities had written a single word in red: "Evacuate". 

A sign instructed residents to leave with their belongings and advised them to upload documents on a government website to apply for compensation.

The Saudi government has promised to compensate families and announced in February it would complete 5,000 replacement housing units by the end of the year.

No compensation from Saudi government

But residents interviewed by AFP, including those evicted early on, revealed they had so far received nothing and that there was no clear way to assess the value of their destroyed homes.

"Months have passed and I have not received compensation for my home. I went from a homeowner to becoming a tenant struggling to pay his rent," Fahd underscored. 

ALQST survey also found some residents had not received clear information on how to claim compensation, or even been told it was available.

Officials defend the project, claiming it will modernize the city with 17,000 new residential units while retaining its character.

  • Ramadan
  • Formula 1
  • Washington
  • Jeddah
  • Mohammad Bin Salman
  • F1
  • Saudi Arabia
  • MBS

Most Read

Fierce resistance ambushes target IOF in Gaza Strip

Fierce resistance ambushes target IOF in al-Zaytoun, Gaza City

  • Politics
  • 30 Aug 2025
Tom Barrack's imperial tantrum in Beirut: When entitlement speaks (Photo by Mahdi Rtail)

Tom Barrack's imperial tantrum in Beirut: When entitlement speaks

  • Politics
  • 26 Aug 2025
Although it does seem likely they will launch some kind of operation in northern Gaza, one which will accelerate its mass murder of civilians, but will fail to achieve its stated objectives. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)

Here is why the Israeli occupation of Gaza won’t work

  • Opinion
  • 26 Aug 2025
A scene showing an al-Qassam Brigades fighter during an ambush on July 7, 2025, in a video released by the al-Qassam Brigades on August 26, 2025 (al-Qassam Brigades Military Media)

Al-Qassam reveals Beit Hanoun ambush targeting Israeli forces

  • Politics
  • 26 Aug 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
The martyred Prime Minister Ahmad Ghaleb al Rahawi, in an undated photo, Yemen (social media)
Politics

Yemen mourns Prime Minister, ministers killed in Israeli aggression

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, greets Argentina's President Javier Milei in the Israelه parliament, in al-Quds, Occupied Palestine, Wednesday, June 11, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Human rights lawyers seek Netanyahu's arrest in Argentina

Radiographer Coralie Gil prepares to enter the room of a COVID-19 patient in the COVID-19 continued care unit at the la Timone hospital in Marseille, southern France, Friday, Dec. 24, 2021 (AP)
Health

French hospitals urged by MoH to prepare for war by March 2026

US Demoratic senators demand baby formula be sent to Gaza
US & Canada

US senators demand 'massive surge' of baby formula for Gaza infants

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS