Saudi journalist calls for alliance with Israel against Iran

Al-Watan columnist Dahham al-Enazi has called for diplomatic relations with Israel and for Israel to wage war against Iran with Saudi Arabia.

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2 min read

Alex Wright

16 Jun, 2015

Dahham al-Enazi wants Saudi Arabia and Israel to join forces against Iran [Twitter]

A Saudi journalist has sparked criticism in his native country after calling for diplomatic relations with Israel to fight the "common enemy" Iran.

Dahham al-Enazi has used his account on Twitter to call for a Saudi embassy in Tel Aviv and an Israeli embassy in Riyadh.

Enazi said: "I would like Saudi general and strategist Anwar Ashgi to be the first ambassador to Israel and I will be happy to take over after him as the second ambassador."

Enazi, an editorial writer for al-Watan newspaper, seemed to expect Israel would take part and provide logistical support in a war against what he called the "Persian enemy" to eliminate Iran's nuclear threat.

He thought Isreal would then abide by the pre-1967 borders and join the Arab League.

Other posts expressed clear anti-Iranian sentiment. Enazi said Jews were cousins of Arabs and more closely related to Arabs than Persians. According to him, the Iranians follow a false form of Islam.

In response, the Arabic-language hashtag #NoToAnEmbassyInIsrael became popular, with many people calling Enazi an Arab Zionist.

This is not the first time Enazi has stirred up controversy in the media. The Houthi-appointed governor of Taiz in Yemen, Mohammad al-Qirai, recently stormed out of a televised debate with Enazi and insulted his mother.

Anti-Iranian sentiment has been on the rise in Saudi Arabia since Iran began negotiating with western states over its nuclear programme.

There have been reports that Saudi Arabia and Israel have recently put aside enmity and held secret talks to confront their common enemy - Iran.

Saudi Arabia does not officially recognise Israel. Egypt and Jordan are currently the only Arab countries to have full diplomatic relations with Israel.