Saudi Regime Tightens Ties with Israeli Occupation by Silencing Anti-Normalization Voices
Since three weeks ago, thousands of men, women, children, and infants have died as a result of the brutal Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip. Thousands more have been injured, many of whom are in critical condition and could not survive long given the unjust Israeli siege of the area that left many hospitals out of service.
On October 7, the Israeli occupation launched its brutal war against the Gaza Strip in the midst of shameful international silence and a blatant adoption of a double standard policy by the West, which has consistently asserted that it upholds human rights, defends humanity, and aspires to bring about global peace.
The violent aggression systematically targets residential areas, leveling many neighborhoods and expunging entire families’ civil records. The occupation’s criminality reached the point of directly and deliberately targeting hospitals, as was the case at the National Baptist Hospital, which housed hundreds of wounded and thousands of displaced people whose homes were destroyed during the ongoing attacks.
Despite the unprecedented escalation and horrific crimes, Arab governments and regimes have not taken any firm stance against the Israeli occupation, such as removing ambassadors or severing diplomatic ties.
Numerous Arab nations also suppressed the vehement demonstrations against Israeli aggression and initiated ferocious arrest campaigns that mirrored Israeli practices against Palestinians in the West Bank.
In Saudi Arabia and the UAE, many activists were arrested and put in jail for refusing the normalization deals and any diplomatic and economic ties with the Israeli occupation, including the detainee Muhammad Al-Rabiah and Rakan Al-Asiri, the journalist Maha Al-Rafidi, the blogger Daoud Al-Ali, the academic Abdullah Al-Yahya, the preacher Abdul Aziz Al-Tarifi, and the preacher Saad bin Matar Al-Otaibi. , Sheikh Saleh Al Talib, activist Abdul Aziz Al-Awda, journalist Ahmed Al-Sawyan, activist Abdullah Al-Maliki, blogger Omar Napoli, journalist Jamil Al-Farsi, and Hammoud bin Ali Al-Omari.
The detainees also include Professor Muhammad bin Mohsen Basra, who was sentenced to 30 years in prison, which is considered the fastest court decision in the history of Saudi Arabia, where he was sentenced only three weeks after his detention in mysterious circumstances in the first week of December.
Basra was arrested over some social media posts criticizing normalization with the Israeli occupation and calling for reconciliation with Qatar.
Together for Justice joins all the free voices calling for the release of all prisoners of conscience, and for an urgent investigation into all the violations they have been subjected to, starting with their arbitrary detention without legal basis.
