The British Times newspaper questioned the ability of the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to complete his plan to build the city of "Neum" on the coast of the Red Sea at a cost of five hundred billion dollars, in light of many crises, the latest of which was the death of one of its opponents, Abdul Rahim Al-Hwaiti.

The newspaper’s Middle East correspondent, Richard Spencer, shed light on the beginning of his report on the latest crises, which is that Abdul Rahim Al Hwaiti posted videos on the Internet saying that he was among the many people who refuse to compromise their possessions to make way for the NEOM scheme, and indicates that he expects to Its end will be death as a result.

In one of the videos, he was quoted as saying that "everyone who refuses to move is under attack. The houses of nine people have been stormed and arrested, and my turn will come soon. We have ruled children like Muhammad bin Salman. Do not be surprised if my accusation of terrorism occurs after the security forces put weapons in My house".

The Saudi government, in turn, said - in a statement released on Wednesday - that Al-Hwaiti shot the officers who tried to arrest him. The statement added that a weapons cache was found in his house, "where the man was hiding over the building behind sandbags and he and his brother did not obey the calls of the security men who demanded that they surrender."

Oil crisis
 The newspaper correspondent believes that what strengthens doubts about the viability of the NEOM project - which aims to combine tourism with the advanced technology industry and a lifestyle based on a "green economy", which includes robots and flying cars - is the collapse of oil prices as a result of the price war between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its competitors Russia and the United States.

In addition, the Corona Virus pandemic reduced demand for oil, on which the kingdom relies almost entirely.

"NEOM" is part of the grand plan of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, called "Vision 2030", to modernize the country's economy and reduce dependence on oil revenues as a reliable source of national financing.

Indeed, the state oil company "Aramco" has been partially privatized to raise funds and invest in new industries, as support has been reduced and companies are encouraged to replace local labor with foreign workers, although these measures have deepened the direct economic crisis.

But the newspaper refers to an advisory report leaked to The Wall Street Journal last year, which dealt with the fate of twenty thousand people living on an area of ​​ten thousand square kilometers of desert and beaches that will be affected by this project.

It is stated in this report that those who are able to develop "skills appropriate for the NEOM project" must survive, while the rest are likely to move from there.

The newspaper adds that the International Monetary Fund issued its latest report last Wednesday to inquire about the financial foundations of the Gulf countries, and "compared to the real value, oil prices have fallen to a level not seen since 2001."

Even before the outbreak of the Corona virus, which affected oil demand, the International Monetary Fund warned that Gulf countries are spending much more than low oil prices allow, which could cause their cash reserves to run out within 15 years. 

On the other hand, analysts questioned the decision of Mohammed bin Salman related to waging a price war with Russia, where he ordered to increase production, which exceeded the demand by thirty million barrels per day around the world.

The oil price war launched by Saudi Arabia has angered American oil groups, along with Trump, although they have expressed their willingness to support Bin Salman after the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at his country's consulate in Istanbul in 2018.

"Frankly, I think their actions are unforgivable and cannot be forgotten easily or quickly," the writer quoted Kevin Kramer, a Senator from North Dakota, as saying.

However, those familiar with the Saudi issue say that the oil crisis makes the Prince's reform plans more important.