Saudi populace mostly rejects normalization following Gaza war: INSS
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Reportedly, support for normalizing ties with "Israel" has dropped across Saudi Arabia as the people have made several arguments against such an agreement.
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The Saudi Arabian flag waves over the newly opened consulate building in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, April 4, 2019. (AP)
The popular rejection in Saudi Arabia of normalizing ties with "Israel" has three dimensions, claimed the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) in "Tel Aviv".
According to a newly published report, the three dimensions are religious, pro-Palestinian, and liberal. On the religious dimension, the Israeli institute claimed that Saudis view "peace with Israel as contrary to Islamic law."
The second dimension, the institute claimed, is that a pro-Palestine position by the people of Saudi Arabia opposes normalization "as a demonstration of support for the Palestinians."
The report even mentioned an X account known as Saudis with Al-Aqsa which advocates against "Israel's" existence from an allegedly "Islamist and pro-Palestinian perspective." The account has so far amassed about 300,000 followers.
رسالة تركها مقاو مون داخل منزل خرج منه أهل بسبب المعارك. pic.twitter.com/QnlHOcffsa
— #سعوديون_مع_الاقصى (@Saudis2018) March 19, 2024
Lastly, the liberal dimension underscored that "ties with Israel could empower the Saudi regime to further violate human rights."
These positions according to the report had been "exacerbated" by the Israeli genocidal war against the Gaza Strip. Citing a poll by The Washington Post, the report noted that 40% of Saudi Arabians supported normalization of ties with "Israel" if it "proved beneficial to the local economy," but after the start of the war on Gaza, the support amongst the Saudi public dropped to 20%.
These numbers, however, did not mean that Saudis believed that "Israel" cannot be defeated. Polls, even prior to the war, showed that 87% of Saudi Arabians believed that "Israel" could be defeated.
The INSS report stressed that on the topic of normalization, the "Israeli discourse focuses on security cooperation with Saudi Arabia against Iran, the Saudi public shows little interest in this aspect, focusing instead on the economic benefits of the relationship."
The limited indicators of Saudi public sentiment underscore a disparity between the Israeli discourse emphasizing the alleged "advantages of normalization", particularly focusing on security and military cooperation, and the Saudi populace, which exhibits little to no interest in such a partnership and may perceive it as facilitating government repression.
Blinken to visit Riyadh, Egypt for talks on Gaza war, post-war plans
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is scheduled to make his sixth Middle East trip since last October coming from the Philippines, to visit Saudi Arabia and Egypt and discuss several key issues, primarily the ongoing Israeli war in Gaza, increasing aid entry to the besieged Strip, and ceasefire efforts.
Blinken will also discuss "a political path" for the Palestinian people with "security assurances with Israel, and an architecture for lasting peace and security in the region," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Tuesday.
"The Secretary will discuss efforts to reach an immediate ceasefire agreement that secures the release of all remaining hostages, intensified international efforts to increase humanitarian assistance to Gaza, and coordination on post-conflict planning for Gaza, including ensuring Hamas can no longer govern or repeat the attacks of October 7," Miller added.
The statement added that Blinken will also address the Yemeni operations in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
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