Earlier this month, Trump suggested that Saudi Arabia and other wealthy Middle Eastern nations should finance the reconstruction of Gaza [Getty]
Saudi media have launched an unprecedented wave of criticism against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump following their recent remarks on plans for the forced displacement of the Palestinians from Gaza.
The reaction has marked a noticeable significant shift in the kingdom’s media coverage of Israel and Hamas, which has been picked up on by several pan-Arab outlets.
This is significant given that Saudi media is generally seen as towing the government line on key issues and has a record of echoing state foreign policy.
Earlier this month, Trump suggested that Saudi Arabia and other wealthy Middle Eastern nations should finance the reconstruction of Gaza, implying that the US could “purchase” the devastated enclave.
Shortly after, Netanyahu remarked that Saudi Arabia, which has rejected any normalisation with Israel without reaching a two-state solution, should consider building a Palestinian state in its territory.
Saudi’s foreign ministry quickly issued a strongly worded statement rejecting Netanyahu’s remarks, calling them “the words of an extremist, occupying mindset that fails to grasp the significance of Palestinian land to its people”.
The ministry accused Netanyahu of attempting to divert attention from Israel’s ongoing crimes against Palestinians in Gaza, including ethnic cleansing.
“The Palestinian people have a legitimate right to their land. They are not outsiders or migrants who can be expelled at Israel’s will,” the statement said, signalling a clear rejection of any forced displacement plans.
What stood out in the official response was the deliberate omission of Netanyahu’s official title, with the state-run Al-Ikhbariya channel later confirming that it was intentional.
“The name of the state no longer applies to Israel,” a commentator on the channel said, reinforcing a stronger Saudi stance following years of talk on normalisation.
Saudi media further escalated the rhetoric, with Al-Ikhbariya referring to Netanyahu as “a Zionist, son of a Zionist” and asserting that “the occupation has one face, and that face is Benjamin Netanyahu”.
Meanwhile, the Saudi pan-Arab Al-Arabiya channel questioned Netanyahu’s mental and physical health, suggesting that his erratic decision-making may have influenced his latest proposals.
During a broadcast, Al Arabiya anchor Reem Bouguerra provocatively asked: “Has Netanyahu entered the stage of the slaughtered rooster?”
Shift in coverage on Hamas
Perhaps the most unexpected development in the Saudi media’s reaction was its changed tone toward Hamas, a group linked to the Muslim Brotherhood that Riyadh has an acrimonious relationship with.
For years, Saudi media had portrayed Hamas as a “terrorist organisation” and distanced itself from it.Â
In October, amid the war on Gaza, the Saudi broadcaster MBC faced backlash and boycott calls after airing a report that labelled some of Hamas’s late leaders as “terrorists”.
However, in the wake of Trump and Netanyahu’s remarks, Saudi news outlets, including leading newspapers Okaz and Asharq Al-Awsat, published Hamas statements condemning the displacement proposals.
Asharq Al-Awsat prominently featured comments from senior Hamas official Izzat al-Rishq, who rejected Trump’s remarks and praised Saudi Arabia’s “firm stance against any plans to expel the Palestinian people”.
Saudi writer Nawaf al-Qudaimi described this moment as a “strategic opportunity” for Saudi Arabia to reestablish ties with Hamas, suggesting that even a symbolic engagement, such as allowing Hamas leaders to perform Umrah during Ramadan, could signal a diplomatic shift.
He noted that some Hamas leaders had historical ties with Saudi Arabia and that the kingdom’s response to Trump and Netanyahu’s remarks presented a chance to restore those communication channels.
Al-Qudaimi also proposed that Saudi Arabia could close its airspace to Israeli flights, presenting this as a practical response to Israel’s continued aggression against Palestinians.
The article also warned that Netanyahu’s remarks could serve to “distract public opinion from the looming ethnic cleansing of Palestinians”.
In another opinion piece, Asharq Al-Awsat described Saudi Arabia’s support for the Palestinian cause as “a fixed principle that is not open to discussion”, dismissing Netanyahu’s suggestion as an attempt to “blackmail the kingdom”.
For years, Saudi-Israeli ties had been gradually warming, with speculation that normalisation could be on the horizon.
However, Netanyahu’s latest remarks appear to have halted this trajectory with a notable shift in Saudi Arabia’s media rhetoric and diplomatic tone suggesting that the kingdom may be reinforcing its historical alignment with the Palestinian cause.
