As Saudi Arabia shows a willingness to cooperate diplomatically with the Jewish state if it declares support for Palestinian statehood, it has increased the number of individuals detained for posts on social media related to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Saudi Arabia’s practice of limiting free speech and political representation and keeping people incarcerated for website feedback, even those who are older than ten, is common. According to Riyadh-based officials and human rights organizations, the recent spate of prosecutions are primarily motivated by safety concerns related to the Hamas ‘ deadly war of Israel on October 7 and its aftermath.
Israel’s hostile assault of Gaza has killed more than 34, 000 Palestinians, according to authorities in the Hamas- work area, and left many more in immediate want of food and health treatment. In Western nations, including the US, where aggressive confrontations have occurred on college campuses, there has been a favorite anti-Israel reaction in the Arab world as a result. On Wednesday, thousands of protesters were detained in the US.
Some of the people who asked not to be identified alleged that Saudi Arabia and local allies like Egypt and Jordan have been alarmed by the tendency, fearing that Iran and Islamist groups could use the fight to stoke a wave of rebellion. Regional leaders, who are determined to prevent a repeat of the Arab Spring more than a decade back, still retain memories of the event.
According to persons inside and outside Saudi Arabia who have knowledge of the situation, an executive with a business involved in the village’s Vision 2030 economic transition plan has been detained in new Saudi punishments. The defendant said that they had views on the Gaza conflict, which the authorities had declared to be explosive.
A press spokesperson who claimed that Israel should never be forgiven has also been detained, according to the people, as has a person who has urged the country to ban American fast food restaurants. The individuals shared data under the situation that neither they nor those detained been identified.
The Saudi Ministry of Interior and the Human Rights Commission of the kingdom did not respond to requests for comment.
A person with knowledge of the Saudi administration’s considering acknowledged the detention and attributed them to what he termed a “high level of alertness” following October 7 and a wish by regulators to deter people from making online claims about the conflict that could have an impact on national security.
Saudi opposition numbers and protesters are holding their biggest meeting on Thursday in the US since Jamal Khashoggi, a royal court inside turned writer, was killed by Saudi officials in 2018. They are expected to release what they refer to as” the people’s vision” for the kingdom, which places a premium on free speech and political prisoners ‘ release.
Hard range
The Saudi-led arrests for articles related to Gaza show that Prince Mohammed’s government will take a harsh stance against those who do n’t adhere to the law when it comes to suppressing relations with Israel, a subject the country was working on with the US before the occasions of October 7 muddied the waters. In addition to the contract near, Israel will be invited to join a three-way agreement after Riyadh and Washington resumed their discussions on a security pact and US assistance in launching a civilian nuclear program earlier this year.
Saudi Arabia has harshly criticized Israel for its occupation of Gaza since October 7 and demanded an instant cease-fire. It also indicated that it will continue to have cooler ties with Israel if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu withdraws soldiers and pledges to the creation of a Palestinian state. The former outcome remains a distant prospect, yet, especially while Netanyahu’s much- proper coalition remains in power.
A repressive environment for pro-Palestinian attitude on social media may indicate that Riyadh is serious about normalizing relations with Israel, according to Jane Kinninmont, a Gulf pro and director of the German Leadership Network.
When the war looks different,” they do not want there to be a kind of established pro-Palestinian movement that would be protesting at that sort of thing,” she said.” If they want to change their policy and go to Israel and have Israelis come to Riyadh, they do not want to have a kind of established pro-Palestine movement that would be protesting.”
Broader arrests
No precise numbers have been released regarding the number of people Saudi Arabia has detained since October 7.
One Saudi man who regularly makes visits to a family member who is currently incarcerated for a pre-war online post in a prison south of Riyadh claimed that a relative has informed him of a significant increase in prisoners at the maximum-security facility over the past six months. Numerous diplomats in the Saudi capital and human rights organizations have backed this up, claiming to have been monitoring a rise in social media-related arrests since October 7.
However, they claimed that the reasons included remarks criticizing the kingdom’s leadership or the cost of living.
Manahel Al-Otaibi, a Saudi fitness instructor and activist for women’s rights, was given an 11-year prison sentence in January for posting social media posts demanding more freedoms for women and videos showing herself in public without the traditional abaya cloak, according to Amnesty International and the Saudi rights organization ALQST.
People are very upset about what is happening in Palestine, according to Yahya Assiri, a leader of the Saudi opposition in London who founded a body that tracks human rights violations in the kingdom. Assiri, who was granted political asylum by the UK in 2017, said that frustration over the war in Gaza is frequently related to dissatisfaction with other government initiatives, particularly ones that focus on the economy.
” These linkages are very worrisome for them but their fears are exaggerated”, he said, referring to Saudi security services.
