TEL AVIV – The hashtag #saudis_for_normalization, referring to normalization with Israel, has stirred up significant controversy on social media.
The creation of the hashtag was seemingly informed by the recent warming of ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel as well as the Trump administration’s talk of a regional peace initiative that would focus on Saudi Arabia and Israel and the two countries’ shared hostility toward Iran.
Mitib Alghamdi, a Saudi Twitter user, wrote, “We respect those who respect us. The Palestinians are traitors and don’t respect us despite all the billions we’ve wasted on them. Israel, you are a source of pride.”
#سعوديين_مع_التطبيع
نحن نحترم من يحترمنا. الفلسطينيون اهل غدر ولم يحترمونا بعد كل المليارات التي صرفناها عليهم. دمتم فخرا يا اسرائيل🇱🇸— 🇸﮼متعب Mitib (@MitibAlghamdi) June 26, 2017
The Kuwaiti author and activist Abdullah Saleh criticized the Saudis and wrote, “History will remember that the day they celebrated the siege of Qatar, they were proud of the hashtag saudis_for_normalization. History won’t be merciful, it is the best witness.”
سيذكر التاريخ..
في يوم احتفل فيه الإخوة بـ #حصار_قطر
يفاخر أبناؤهم بـ #سعوديين_مع_التطبيع
والتاريخ لا يرحم..وهو خير شاهد!
— عبدالله محمد الصالح (@abdullahalsaleh) June 27, 2017
One Twitter user who expressed support for normalization wrote, “Who is it who allows [normalization] to Turkey and forbids it for Saudi Arabia? It is the Muslim Brotherhood lobby that uses false arguments and continues to deceive us as it did for many years.”
#سعوديين_مع_التطبيع
من الذي أجازه لتركيا وحرمه على الدولة السعودية؟
إنه اللوبي الاخواني تحت حجج واهية
وخدعنا به لسنوات كثيرة pic.twitter.com/tZKJVAPYOH— مجموعة نايف بن خالدMBS🇸 (@naif4002) June 27, 2017
A Saudi Twitter user named Khaled wrote, “The source of this hashtag is the occupation. Those tweeting it aren’t real. I can’t believe that there is a Saudi Muslim who accepts the normalization with a country of terrorists that occupies Arab land.”
Another Saudi wrote, “No matter where the humiliation of some of the Palestinians comes to, it will not make me support normalization with the Zionist entity.”
https://twitter.com/jkjkk549/status/879488326746742787
Mohammed Alrabiaa, a Saudi activist, wrote, “There is a lot of dirt, holes and nonsense in this hashtag saudis_for_normalization. I never imagined that a day would come that I would see this idea resonate with us so much!”
قذارة وجهل وحمق وهبل في هذا الهاشتاق #سعوديين_مع_التطبيع لم أكن أتصور أنه سيأتي يوم وأرى مثل هذا الطرح بهذه الفجاجة والانتشار لدينا!
— محمد الربيعة (@Mohadfr) June 27, 2017
Aljohara, a Qatari Twitter user, wrote, “Israel, which occupies Palestinian and Arab land, has become a developing and pacifistic country and the movement in opposition (to the occupation) has become terrorist?”
اسرائيل اللي محتله اراضي الفلسطينين العرب صارت بلد متطوره ومسالمه وحماس المقاومه الفلسطينيه صارت ارهابيه ؟#سعوديين_مع_التطبيع #طاغية_الخليج
— الجوهرة (@althanialjay) June 27, 2017
The Saudi social media user Houda Laqarni supported naturalization and wrote, “I’m with the interests of the country, even if it’s forced to ally with Satan. What’s important is the interests and development of our country. We’ve grown tired of making concessions to please everybody.”
https://twitter.com/Hdooos991/status/879542661996310531
Sultan, another Saudi tweeter, wrote, “It’s clear who’s behind this hashtag. Saudi Arabia’s position, of the leadership and the people, on the Palestinian issue is well-known. But we don’t like moral preaching.”
#سعوديين_مع_التطبيع
معروف من ورا مثل هالهاشتاق، والسعودية قيادة وشعب معروف موقفنا من القضية الفلسطينية منذ الأزل، الفرق أننا لا نزايد عليها!— Sultan 🇸 (@S_Ashlowi) June 27, 2017
Another Saudi, Bint Outbe, wrote, “I’m prepared to promise that 100% of the Saudis are against normalization, and just a discussion of the issue is a provocation. We are dealing with Twitter idiots who claim to speak in our name.”
https://twitter.com/ksa_sa_ksa9/status/879535108541358080
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