Over the past few days, the Saudi authorities have intensified their persecution of citizens who showed support for the people of Gaza via social media, Bloomberg reported.
According to the report, Saudi Arabia detained a number of people who expressed criticism of the Israeli occupation’s ongoing genocide against the Gazan people.
This campaign followed US Secretary of State Blinken’s recent visit to Saudi Arabia, during which he declared that the normalization process between Saudi Arabia and the Israeli occupation would soon come to an end. These discussions took place in secret during the months-long conflict in Gaza.
Prior to the war, Saudi Arabia was almost done with the process of normalizing relations with Israel. However, after the war, Saudi Arabia demanded that Israel recognize a Palestinian state, even if only as a means of preserving Saudi Arabia’s reputation among the peoples of the Islamic world. Israel refused, and has not done so since.
According human rights organisations, a number of non-ideological citizens as well as social and human rights activists were targeted by the recent arrests that occurred in Saudi Arabia.
The agency cited statements made by individuals who chose to remain anonymous, saying that the governments of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Jordan are experiencing a wave of fear and anxiety that the resistance will garner widespread support, which will increase the number of Islamists that these nations, along with the UAE, have attempted to politically eradicate by detaining, killing, persecuting, and displacing through counter-revolutions of the Arab Spring.
It is significant to remember that among those detained were advocates for boycotting Israeli-backed products in the Kingdom as well as those who oppose Vision 2030.
Human rights advocates and analysts claim that since the events of October 7, there have been multiple campaigns for arrests, though an exact count has not yet been fully reported or recorded.
Moreover, the relevant Saudi Arabian authorities have not addressed the arrest campaigns directly or indirectly, implying either that the arrests never happened or that the matter did not concern them. As a result, some legal scholars have described the Kingdom as being indifferent to the human rights issue.
The Kingdom’s arrests proved that the activists’ demands to end Saudi Arabia’s cooperation with Israel were realistic. Following the Gaza War, Saudi Arabia worked with the UAE and Jordan to establish a land route in support of Israel after besieging the Houthis and cutting off the Red Sea route against the occupation. Saudi Arabia also continued to regularly supply fuel to the occupation army throughout the conflict, never once considering the right of the Palestinian people to live.
Politicians and experts agree that the goal of Saudi Arabia and Israel’s normalization process is to change the Middle East. Apart from augmenting the security of both Israel and Saudi Arabia, this accord would fortify the US’s standing in the region vis-à-vis Iran and even China. Congress must approve the deal, which could potentially provide Saudi Arabia with access to sophisticated US weapons that were previously prohibited. Additionally, Saudi Arabia would consent to restrict the use of Chinese technology in sensitive networks within the nation in return for substantial US investment and assistance in establishing a civilian nuclear program.
However, historical data suggests that Saudi Arabia will only be tolerated as a servant by the occupation, not as an ally and collaborator.
