Large-scale arrest campaign against pro-Gaza activists in Saudi Arabia
Together for Justice expressed grave concern over reports that the Saudi authorities were conducting a campaign of ruthless arrests against anyone who showed support for the Palestinian people, denounced the crimes committed by the Israeli occupation, or called for the accountability of those involved.
According to unnamed sources, Saudi security has been carrying out a campaign in the aftermath of the October 7 war for the past few months, targeting over thirty individuals whose names were known as well as dozens of others who were not, including Saudi citizens and residents, both men and women, who attempted to express solidarity with the people of Gaza regarding the genocide that has taken place there.
The sources state that an executive from one of the Vision 2030 companies was detained after he tweeted his support for the Palestinian cause. Another arrest was made of a journalist who tweeted, “What Israel did in Gaza is unforgivable,” and another arrest was made of someone who called for a boycott of American goods in support of Israel in Saudi Arabia.
The sources verified that those arrested were both Saudi citizens and foreign residents, and some of them were even younger than ten years old.
It was “a matter of time” until this was announced, according to some analysts, who also noted that normalization negotiations were back on the table and that the Kingdom was preparing to close a deal with the United States of America regarding normalization with Israel at the time this campaign was launched.
It is important to remember that the Saudi regime suppressed any and all expressions of support for the Palestinian cause long before the most recent conflict broke out. Years earlier, the regime had begun to target Palestinians living on its territory after dozens of them had been arrested on suspicion of opposing the Israeli occupation. Many of them were found guilty after unfair trials, and as a result, they are currently incarcerated.
Following the start of the recent Israeli aggression, the Saudi regime participated in building a land bridge with the UAE that passes through its lands to Israel to supply the occupation with all the food and basic goods it needs. Recently, the Saudi authorities decided to stop sending any money to Palestine for any reason at all.
Official sources, who wished to remain anonymous, claim that the ruling covers all banking and financial transfers to and from Palestine, including individual and business transactions as well as transfers made by transfer companies like “Western Union or MoneyGram.”
The Palestinian economy, which was 18% dependent on remittances from Palestinians living in Saudi Arabia—of whom there are approximately 500,000—will be impacted by this decision as any Palestinian citizen living in Saudi Arabia will no longer be able to send any amount of money directly to his family in the West Bank or Gaza.
This decision is made in the context of the economic and military blockade that the Israeli occupation has placed on Palestine, as well as the deadly blockade that Gaza has been under since the start of the previous conflict in October. The blockade is threatening to cause a major famine that will affect 2.2 million people, half of whom are children.
