Ryad (AFP)
The broadcasting during Ramadan of two television series raising the question of links with Israel by a Saudi channel has fueled speculation on the links between the kingdom and the Hebrew state.
Arab Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, have no diplomatic ties to Israel, but analysts say "quiet dance" to furtively build relationships based on shared animosity against Iran.
A character in the series "Exit 7" raised eyebrows by befriending a young Israeli through an online video game.
Another justifies in one scene the ties to Israel, declaring that the Palestinians are the real "enemies" who insult the kingdom "day and night" despite decades of financial aid.
Another series, "Oum Haroun", recounts the life of a Jewish community in a village in Kuwait in the 1940s.
The two programs caused an uproar on social networks, many seeing them as promoting "normalization with Israel", but according to the production, they achieved the best audiences for Ramadan, the month of Muslim fasting and the high consumption of television content. .
These series are produced by the MBC group, which came under control of the Saudi government after its founder, the magnate Waleed al-Ibrahim, was detained with other businessmen at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Ryad as part of campaign against corruption in 2017.
These productions contrast with "The End", an Egyptian science fiction series that caused fury in Israel for predicting its collapse.
"The stereotype associated with the Middle East has been for decades that of a region of fear, bloodshed, hatred and extremism," MBC spokesperson Mazen Hayek told AFP. According to him, the two programs "seek to project another image, made of hope, tolerance and dialogue between religions".
"The accusation of normalization is a bit outdated in the context of globalization," he adds.
- Survey opinion -
According to specialists, these series could constitute a pulse of public opinion.
"These broadcasts are useful for the Saudi state to understand the position of the public (...) they serve as a measurement tool", explains the expert on Saudi foreign policy towards Israel, Aziz Alghashian, professor at the University of Essex.
In early 2020, the kingdom announced the programming of a film on the Holocaust for the first time in a festival, before the cancellation of it due to the Covid-19.
The editorialists stick to the official position which conditions normalization with the Hebrew State to a settlement of the conflict with the Palestinians.
But relations seem to be heating up in a movement orchestrated by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Ryad welcomed the peace plan of US President Donald Trump, considered favorable to Israel and rejected by many Arab countries.
Saudi Arabia quietly opened its airspace in 2018 for the first time to an airliner to Israel while the Emirati airline Etihad Airways made its first flight to the Hebrew State on Tuesday to transport medical aid intended for Palestinians.
Oman also hosted Mr. Netanyahu in October 2018, the first such visit in two decades.
- "Revolutionary"-
The rising tensions between Tehran and Ryad and the Saudi desire to attract foreign investment for its ambitious reforms seem to push the kingdom to this rapprochement.
"A few years ago, Prince Khaled bin Salman told me that the kingdom knows that Israel is an integral part of achieving its economic plan for 2030. This is a major declaration and it really shows a warming of ties "Marc AFNIER, an American rabbi with close ties to the Gulf, told AFP.
Saudi authorities have not responded to requests for an interview with Prince Khaled, the Crown Prince's younger brother.
In February, King Salman received a rabbi from Jerusalem at Ryad for the first time in modern history.
Israeli media released a photo of Rabbi David Rosen with the king, welcoming a "revolutionary" move. The official Saudi news agency did not give the name of the rabbi and published only a photo of the audience on which we do not see him.
"It is a region of the world where such a change takes time," adds Schneier.
"We are seeing signs of warming, but it may take more time before we see more dramatic action."
© 2020 AFP