Saudi blogger Mohammed Saud at Israel’s parliament, the Knesset. (Twitter)

Six Arab bloggers and journalists arrived in Israel earlier this month at the invitation of Israel’s foreign ministry.

The delegation included individuals from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Jordan and Egypt, according to Israeli media.

With the exception of Jordan and Egypt, none of these countries has formal diplomatic ties with Israel, but some have made moves towards normalization in recent months.

Yuval Rotem, the director general of Israel’s foreign ministry, said the visit would allow the delegation “to get to know the Israeli society in all its diversity from up close.”

A delegation organized by @IsraelMFA, of media figures from Arab countries, including from #Iraq & #SaudiArabia, arrived in Israel today.



No doubt this visit will allow our guests to get to know the Israeli society in all its diversity from up close.



Welcome to Israel! 🇮🇱🇮🇶🇸🇦🇯🇴 https://t.co/bB9rxZlTAa — Yuval Rotem 🇮🇱 (@Yuval_Rotem) July 21, 2019

The delegation had dinner with foreign ministry spokesperson Emmanuel Nahshon, who called it “a moment of great emotion.”

Just finished dinner with a first of its kind delegation to Israel of journalists from the Arab world, including Iraq and Saudi Arabia! A moment of great emotion. At @IsraelMFA , under the leadership of @IsraeliPM @netanyahu and FM @Israel_katz ,we build bridges for peace 🇮🇱 — Emmanuel Nahshon (@EmmanuelNahshon) July 21, 2019

The delegates made the trip through the Allenby Bridge crossing from Jordan into the occupied West Bank, according to Israel’s i24 News.

The foreign ministry said the itinerary would include a tour of northern Israel, a visit to Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, and a stop at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial.

Normalizers not welcome

The only member of the delegation identified by local media was Saudi student and activist Mohammed Saud, who regularly tweets in support of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Saud was chased out by Palestinians and worshippers from the al-Aqsa mosque compound in the Old City of Jerusalem on 22 July when they realized he was a member of the delegation.

Local media circulated videos showing Palestinians calling him “cheap,” telling him to “go pray in the Knesset,” spitting on him and throwing chairs and objects at him:

مصير كل خائن وعميل pic.twitter.com/dEyL0JO4EA — rami salhi (@ramisalhi) July 22, 2019

Here is that Saudi clown again in the old city/ Jerusalem pic.twitter.com/NduaGeopjl — Jamal Dajani جمال (@JamalDajani) July 22, 2019

One can be heard saying that the al-Aqsa mosque is a “pure place” and that it doesn’t welcome “normalizers.”

Saud’s visit came on the same day as Israeli forces began the demolition of some 100 apartments in the Wadi Hummus neighborhood on the outskirts of Sur Bahir, a village southeast of Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank.

Another member of the delegation was also heckled by Palestinians in Jerusalem on 23 July:

فلسطينيون يضربون ويطردون مطبعاً أردنياً قبل دخوله المسجد الأقصى ضمن وفد إعلامي عربي تطبيعي مع الاحتلال. pic.twitter.com/owLNJlAvrY — شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) July 23, 2019

Local media said he was a Jordanian but did not identify him.

Israeli occupation forces detained at least three Palestinians for alleged involvement in protesting Saud.

Another Saudi blogger and a friend of Saud appeared on the Israeli public broadcaster Kan on 23 July.

“What happened to my friend Mohammed is unbelievable,” he said.

في حديث له مع قناة عبرية.. ناشط سعودي يطالب بسحب الوصاية الأردنية عن #المسجد_الأقصى ومنحها للاحتلال.#السعودية pic.twitter.com/r9d1fQkKTE — شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) July 24, 2019

“The level of meannes and villainy that the Palestinian people have reached, they have ruined the image of Islam and Muslims.”

The Saudi blogger called on Israel to seize control over Jerusalem’s holy places from Jordan, which acts as custodian. Al-Aqsa mosque is one of Islam’s holiest sites.

Saudi journalist Abd al-Hamid al-Ghabin appeared on Israel’s i24 News during the same week and said that the custodianship of the al-Aqsa mosque should be transferred to Saudi Arabia.

He added that Jordan’s recent warming up to Qatar and Turkey “will not save it from its inevitable fate as an alternative homeland for the Palestinians.”

Turning Jordan into an alternative state for Palestinians, so that Israel can seize the whole of historic Palestine, is a longstanding dream of the Israeli far right.

عبد الحميد الغبين :

هرولت #الأردن إلى #تركيا و #قطر لن تنقذه من المصير الحتمي كوطن بديل للفلسطينيين.. ولولا دعم #السعودية للأردن لانهار النظام وحلت الفوضى في أيام..

المسجد# الأقصى يجيب أن يكون تحت الوصايا السعودية فهي مهبط الوحي والاجدر كما أنها لا تسيس الأماكن المقدسة .. pic.twitter.com/N31opSOpmt — #عبدالحميد الغبين (@Abdullhameeds) July 24, 2019

Anti-Palestinian propaganda

Outraged Saudi social media users expressed solidarity with Palestinians with the hashtag “Saudis against normalization” in Arabic.

Others are doing the opposite, posting anti-Palestinian videos under the Twitter hashtag “they sold the issue and then cursed us” – a false accusation that Palestinians themselves willingly gave up their homeland to the Zionist movement.

This anti-Palestinian propaganda is similar to that disseminated by Egyptian elites starting a generation ago in order to justify Egypt’s peace treaty with Israel despite Israel’s continued occupation of Palestinian and other Arab land.

#باعوا_الكضيه_وشتمونا

حتى الشعب السوداني المسالم ماسلم من الفلسطينيين !؟

pic.twitter.com/1lKhuqVpnI — راشد الدوسري (@1RASHED10) July 27, 2019

Posing with Likud officials

Saud also posed at the Knesset with Likud lawmaker Yehuda Glick.

Likud lawmaker Yehuda Glick poses with Saudi blogger Muhammad Saud near Israel’s parliament, the Knesset. (Twitter)

Glick is a leader of the Israeli-government backed Jewish extremist movement that aims to destroy the al-Aqsa mosque and replace it with a Jewish temple.

Saud also posed with the Israeli foreign ministry’s spokesperson for Arabic-language media, Hassan Kaabia, who called the Saudi blogger his “friend”:

صديقي محمد سعود من المملكة العربية السعودية اهلا وسهلا في بيتك الثاني pic.twitter.com/90G6yOSOT0 — Hassan Kaabia (@HassanKaabia) July 22, 2019

Kaabia told The Times of Israel that Saud took being protested by Palestinians “somewhat harshly, but he understood that this is the real face of the Palestinians.”

The delegation also met with Netanyahu. The prime minister apologized to Saud on behalf of Israel for being protested in Jerusalem.

Kaabia added that Saud sang a Hebrew song by Israeli poet Leah Goldberg to show support for Israel, according to The Times of Israel.

Condemnation from journalist unions

The Iraqi Journalists Syndicate condemned the alleged participation of an Iraqi journalist in the visit.

The syndicate said it “rejects all forms of normalization with the Zionist entity.”

توعدت نقابة الصحفيين العراقيين باتخاذ عقوبات رادعة بحق أي صحفي عراقي تثبت زيارته للاحتلال الإسرائيلي، مؤكدة تعارض ذلك مع توجهات النقابة ونهجها الوطني الرافض لكل أشكال التطبيع مع الاحتلال.



المصدر: الأناضول pic.twitter.com/YMDIJnIMEp — مقاطعة (@Boycott4Pal) July 22, 2019

It added that it would punish any Iraqi journalists found to have participated, including suspension from the union.

The Palestinian Democratic Press Society also condemned the delegation, stressing that it rejects “all such visits and displays of normalization.”

The Federation of Arab Journalists denied that any journalists from Arab states even made the trip.

The federation said it “conclusively ascertained” that no journalists belonging to member syndicates in Bahrain, the UAE, Saudi Arabia or Iraq took part.

It added that the journalists who took part may be Arab nationals living in other countries and holding passports from their countries of residence.

The Bahraini Society Against Normalization with the Zionist Enemy also condemned the visit, and called for a boycott of anyone who made the trip.

Meanwhile, Israeli foreign minister Yisrael Katz publically met with Bahrain’s foreign minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa at the US State Department earlier this month.

Yesterday I met publicly with the Foreign Minister of Bahrain 🇧🇭 @khalidalkhalifa at the @statedept Ministerial on Religious Freedom

Another example of our growing diplomatic connections

I will continue to work with @IsraeliPM to advance Israel’s relations with the Gulf countries pic.twitter.com/EElPlWbwiZ — ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) July 18, 2019

“I will continue to work with the Israeli Prime Minister to advance Israel’s relations with the Gulf countries,” Katz wrote on Twitter.

Katz visited the UAE last month to attend a climate conference and push his plan to build a regional rail network through Jordan, Iraq and several Gulf states, linking them to the Mediterranean via Israel.

مشروع السكك الحديدية الطموح لتحسين اقتصادات المنطقة.



اليكم تفاصيل مشروع السكك الحديدية الذي طرحه وزير الخارجية يسرائيل كاتس خلال زيارته إلى الإمارات مؤخرا لتعزيز السلام الإقليمي ورفع حجم التجارة بأربعة أضعاف



فيديو بالعربية 🔊 pic.twitter.com/JsQ2dOIpVs — إسرائيل بالعربية (@IsraelArabic) July 25, 2019

It was the first visit by an Israeli minister to an Arab country with which Israel has no relations following the US workshop in Bahrain last month.

In a video message published on Israel’s Arabic-language propaganda Twitter account last week, Katz urged normalization of ties between Iraqis and Israelis.

He announced that the Israeli foreign ministry was launching a special Facebook page aimed at an Iraqi audience.

وزير الخارجية الإسرائيلي يسرائيل كاتس للشعب العراقي: تجمعنا امور عديدة.. نتمنى ان تتنامى العلاقات بما يخدم الشعبين على حد سواء pic.twitter.com/uUbWexaS3M — إسرائيل بالعربية (@IsraelArabic) July 24, 2019

“We have many things in common,” he said.

“We hope relations will grow in a manner that serves both peoples.”