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  • Opinion: Saudi Arabia should consider regional leadership as an alternative to normalisation with Israel

    Looking at the issue objectively, Saudi Arabia does not need to normalise relations with the occupation state of Israel after the collapse of the Iranian axis in the region, the end of Tehran’s influence in Syria in particular and its significant decline in Lebanon. The US and other right-wing Zionist lobbies that were pushing Saudi Arabia to normalisation no longer have an argument to continue to do so. These lobbies, successive US administrations, Netanyahu and Israeli governments are the ones begging for normalisation with Saudi Arabia, because all would benefit from it, but the biggest loser would be Saudi Arabia itself. However, policy and statements issued by Riyadh, especially in the wake of the crazy statements by the man in the White House, all indicate a firmness in the Saudi position that has strengthened the Arab position as a whole, whether about calling for the displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, or on the issue of the Palestinian state.

  • Gulf telcos should ignore Europe’s fading allure

    Long-suffering investors in Gulf telecom operators would be forgiven for shuddering when reading a recent S&P Global Ratings report. Here they will learn that the region’s leading telcos “want to scale up their business and geographic footprints by increasing their exposure to stable European markets”. Why the palpitations among minority shareholders? Well, e& (formerly Etisalat), Saudi Telecom Co (STC) and Ooredoo – the former telecom monopolies in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar respectively – wasted tens of billions of dollars between them on misadventures abroad in the noughties and 2010s.

  • Deals worth $15bn on day one of Saudi Leap tech event

    Investment deals worth almost $15 billion have been announced on the first day of the Leap 25 tech event in Riyadh. The Saudi communications ministry said that deals signed on day one of the four-day event, which ends on Wednesday, totalled $14.9 billion. The deals included plans for a manufacturing plant in the Saudi capital by the Chinese computer-maker Lenovo and the Saudi Public Investment Fund-backed technology company Alat. The plant will produce millions of Saudi-made laptops and desktops from next year and create 15,000 direct and 45,000 indirect jobs, Lenovo said.  Lenovo said it will also establish a regional headquarters in Saudi Arabia.

  • LEAP 2025: NEOM, DataVolt anounce $5bln deal to establish first sustainable AI data centre in Saudi

    The second day of LEAP 2025, Saudi Arabia’s award-winning global tech event, produced further announcements totalling US$6.13 billion of investments in technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Leading the roll call of mega investments to continue the evolution of the Kingdom’s technology ecosystem, DataVolt and Saudi Arabian giga-project NEOM announced a US$5 billion partnership to establish the first fully sustainable AI data centre with a capacity of 1.5 gigawatts in Oxagon – the floating industrial city being developed in the Red Sea.

  • Saudi Arabia declares February 22 as official holiday for private and non-profit sectors to mark Founding Day

    The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development has announced that Saturday, February 22, will be an official holiday for both the private and non-profit sectors in observance of Saudi Founding Day. Founding Day marks the anniversary of the establishment of the First Saudi State by Imam Mohammed bin Saud in 1727, celebrating the Kingdom’s deep historical roots, national unity, and strong leadership bond that has connected Saudi citizens to their rulers since the founding of Diriyah as the state’s first capital. The occasion highlights the early Saudi efforts in establishing security and stability, which profoundly shaped Saudi society after centuries of division and instability.

  • Commentary: Trump’s Alternate Reality in the Middle East

    This bizarro world solution for the Middle East isn’t going to happen. There is no appetite around the globe for accepting millions of Palestinians from Gaza. There is no way for Jordan—even if it were willing to accept still more Palestinian refugees than those already living there—to receive hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from Gaza. There is no way to get them from Gaza to Jordan, short of outlandish round-the-clock air lifts or some sort of forced death march through the Negev desert. The only location that makes any practical sense is Egypt, but Cairo is not going to accept the transfer of significant numbers of Palestinians from Gaza into Sinai or anywhere else in their country. This is a policy that dates back to the era of King Farouk, when in 1951 or 1952 it was decided to absolutely not allow the transfer of Palestinians into Egypt from Gaza. There is virtually nothing the United States can offer Egypt (within the realm of reality) that would induce Cairo to change this policy; withholding the current military aid package would certainly not be sufficient to produce that result.

  • ‘Red line’: Egypt condemns Netanyahu’s call for Palestinian state in Saudi Arabia

    Egypt has strongly criticised comments by Israel's prime minister, in which he suggested that a Palestinian state could be established on Saudi territory. On Thursday, Benjamin Netanyahu said during an interview with Israel's Channel 14: "The Saudis can create a Palestinian state in Saudi Arabia; they have a lot of land over there." The remarks came after Riyadh reiterated that it would only normalise relations with Israel if there was a clear pathway towards Palestinian statehood.  Without naming Netanyahu, Cairo's foreign ministry said on Saturday that it condemned the remarks "in the strongest terms".  "Egypt condemns the irresponsible Israeli statements that incite against the kingdom and call for the establishment of a Palestinian state on Saudi lands," the ministry said.

  • ‘Take the Israelis to Alaska’, Saudi official mocks Netanyahu and Trump

    A member of the powerful Saudi Shura Council, Yousef bin Trad al-Saadoun, ridiculed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s suggestion of establishing a Palestinian state in Saudi Arabia, instead proposing that US President Donald Trump should relocate Israelis to Alaska and later to Greenland “after annexing it”.  Writing in the Saudi newspaper Okaz on Friday, al-Saadoun criticised Trump’s approach to Middle East policy, arguing that reckless decisions stem from ignoring expert advice and dismissing dialogue. He warned that "Zionists and their allies" would fail to manipulate Saudi leadership through media pressure and political manoeuvres. Taking a swipe at the Trump administration, al-Saadoun said: "The official foreign policy of the United States will seek the illegal occupation of sovereign land and the ethnic cleansing of its inhabitants, which is the Israeli approach and are considered crimes against humanity. "Anyone who follows the path of the emergence and continuation of Israel clearly realizes that this plan was certainly formulated and approved by the Zionist entity, and was handed over to their ally to read from the White House podium.

  • Seven Saudi Hospitals Rank Among Brand Finance World’s Top 250

    Seven Saudi hospitals have been recognized among Brand Finance's top 250 hospitals worldwide for 2025, underscoring the Kingdom's remarkable progress in the healthcare sector, driven by the ambitious goals of Vision 2030. Leading the way for Saudi and regional hospitals, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center secured the 15th position globally, solidifying its status as the leading medical facility in the Middle East and North Africa. The impressive Saudi representation on the list includes King Fahad Medical City, King Khalid University Hospital, King Saud Medical City, King Abdullah Medical City, National Guard Health Affairs, and King Fahad University Hospital. This significant achievement reflects the rapid advancements in healthcare infrastructure, cutting-edge medical technologies, and robust scientific research initiatives, all of which aim to establish a globally competitive healthcare system, as envisioned in Vision 2030.

  • Saudi Arabia reiterates rejection of Israeli comments on displacement of Palestinians from their land

    Saudi Arabia on Sunday reiterated its categorical rejection of statements regarding the displacement of the Palestinian people from their land, particularly those made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Kingdom’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it rejected “such statements that aim to divert attention from the continuous crimes committed by the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian brothers in Gaza, including the ethnic cleansing they are subjected to.” The ministry likewise expressed its appreciation of the “condemnation, disapproval and total rejection announced by the brotherly countries” regarding the Israeli leader’s comments. “The Kingdom also points out that this extremist, occupying mentality does not understand what the Palestinian land means to the brotherly people of Palestine and their emotional, historical and legal connection to this land, and it does not think that the Palestinian people deserve to live in the first place, as it has completely destroyed the Gaza Strip, killed and injured more than 160,000, most of them children and women, without the slightest human feeling or moral responsibility,” the Saudi Foreign Ministry statement said.