Saudi Crackdowns on social media posts attacking Israel too . Is it peace nearer?

Saudi Arabia has intensified the arrest of its citizens for social media posts related to the Israel-Gaza conflict, including a media figure who stated Israel should never be forgiven and an individual calling for a boycott of American fast food restaurants. This move comes as the kingdom signals its readiness to agree to diplomatic relations with Israel, raising concerns about national security threats post-October 7. The arrests are part of a broader crackdown on online comments about the conflict, with the focus on posts deemed problematic by security services.

This news, reported by Bloomberg, comes at the same time as rumors reported by Haaretz of a possible normalization of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel.

According to the diplomat, “Saudi has decided to go for an agreement with Israel. It’s a principled strategic move, as part of the rapprochement with the U.S., and [Saudi Arabia] is interested in realizing it.

“The question is when, and the decision on the timing should be made within days. The debate in the Saudi government is whether to hand this ‘candy’ to President [Joe] Biden, who may not be reelected, or wait for the next president, assuming Biden will lose,” the diplomat said. “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 damage relations with the next president.”

In fact, it is known that the Suadite Kingdom is not particularly supportive of President Biden and therefore would not want such a move to look like an endorsement of him. Surely the evolution under a Trump presidency would be more rapid.