Gulf Nashra Weekly Digest
Saudis and Emiratis Clash on Social Media; Israeli Businessman Admits Transferring Qatari Money to Netanyahu's Aides; and a UK Corruption Lawsuit Involving Kuwait.
Media Coverage
“Russia and US to discuss Black Sea shipping and Ukraine peace in Saudi Arabia.” Al Arabiya, March 20, 2025.
“Trump envoy Steve Witkoff earlier this week said US-Russian talks would take place on Sunday in Jeddah. But when asked by Reuters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said they might instead be early next week.”
Go Deeper: “Insight: The Geopolitical Consequences of the Gaza War for the Gulf States” The Gulf Nashra, Substack, February 20, 2025.
“UAE’s Tahnoon bin Zayed, Trump Discuss Strategic Partnership.” Asharq Al-Awsat, March 19, 2025.
“Sheikh Tahnoon affirmed the UAE's commitment to strengthening economic ties with the US by expanding partnerships and accelerating investments in key sectors like AI, technology, infrastructure, and healthcare.”
Go Deeper: “Trump’s Return and Implications for the Middle East” Middle East Council on Global Affairs, November 7, 2024.
“Kuwait pension fund's $1 billion corruption lawsuit begins in UK court.” Middle East Monitor, March 17, 2025.
“The Public Institution for Social Security (PIFSS), which operates Kuwait’s social security and pension scheme, is suing the estate of Fahad Al Rajaan, its director from 1984 to 2014. Al Rajaan was in 2016 convicted in his absence of corruption and embezzling public money in Kuwait and died in London in 2022.”
Go Deeper: “Kuwait: Ex-minister under investigation for alleged embezzlement of public funds” Middle East Monitor, March 14, 2025.
Saudi Arabia: “Recycled ihrams promoting eco-friendly pilgrimage” Arab News, March 15, 2025.
“The Ministry of Culture’s Fashion Commission recently introduced its Sustainable Ihram initiative, which focuses on recycling and repurposing used ihrams.”
Go Deeper: “How Saudi Arabia aims to make Hajj 2024 an eco-friendly pilgrimage” Arab News, June 14, 2024.
“Oil exports propel Oman’s trade surplus to $19.4bn.” Arab News, March 16, 2025.
“Refined oil exports saw a significant surge of 185.5 percent, reaching 3.85 billion rials. However, liquefied natural gas exports declined by 1.9 percent to 2.53 billion rials.”
“Meanwhile, non-oil merchandise exports fell by 16.3 percent to 6.23 billion rials in December, down from 7.44 billion rials the previous year.”
Go Deeper: “Oman MPO” World Bank, October 2024. [PDF].
“Bahrain successfully launches its first satellite, 'Al-Munther'.” Arab Times, March 15, 2025.
“According to the Bahrain News Agency (BNA), the satellite reached its orbit aboard a Falcon 9 rocket, launched as part of the SpaceX Transporter 13 mission from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, USA."
Go Deeper: “Space sector developments across the GCC” Bayly Winder, Middle East Institute, April 20, 2023.
‘Qatargate’: Businessman admits passing funds from Qatar lobbyist to Feldstein.” The Jerusalem Post, MARCH 19, 2025.
“Israeli Businessman Gil Birger admitted in recordings published by KAN's Reshet Bet on Wednesday that he had transferred funds from a Qatari lobbyist to a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's media team, Eli Feldstein.”
Go Deeper: “The Qatari Challenge: Strategic Dilemmas and Policy Options for Israel.” INSS, March 17, 2025.
“Russia replaces UAE as India's top naphtha supplier in 2024/25.” Reuters, March 20, 2025.
“India, the world's third largest crude importer and oil consumer, has been relying on cheap oil from Russia to reduce import costs despite Western efforts to curtail Moscow's revenues during the Ukraine war. Russia has been India's top crude supplier for the past two years.”
Go Deeper: “Impact of the Russo-Ukrainian war on energy flows from the Arab Gulf states.” Middle East Institute, February 11, 2025.
“The Emir of Kuwait warns members of the judiciary against exploiting their positions for personal gain.” Asharq Al-Awsat, March 16, 2025.
“Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad added: "While we reaffirm that we have no authority over a judge in their rulings, we have recently observed certain issues that affect justice and cast doubt and confusion on the judicial system. This occurs when conflicting and contradictory rulings are issued—one judge delivers a verdict, and another judge overturns it—despite the cases being identical in all facts and details, without any additions or omissions. This raises suspicion and concern about the rulings.”
Go Deeper: "Supreme Judicial Council": The Emir's Orders Will Be Implemented. Al-Jarida, March 20, 2025.
“Saudi Arabia awards mining exploration licenses to local, international firms.” Reuters, March 18, 2025.
“The licenses were awarded to Indian miner Vedanta and a consortium comprising local Ajlan & Bros and China's Zijin Mining.”
Go Deeper: “Mining and Mineral Opportunities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.” Ministry of Industry & Mineral Resources. [PDF].
UAE: “ADQ and ECP of the US bet on data centre projects.” AGBI, March 20, 2025.
“The goal of the prospective $25 billion, 50-50 tie-up is to support growing energy demand by data centres, large cloud providers, and other so-called hyperscalers – large cloud service providers – in advanced technology and artificial intelligence (AI), ADQ said in a statement.”
Go Deeper: “Insight: Undercurrents – GCC Monarchies Contend with Gaza & Trump II” The Gulf Nashra, Substack, March 19, 2025.
Gulf Opinions
This week, a clash has emerged between Saudi and Emirati commentators, primarily due to the widening gap in their countries' foreign policies. For instance, the Saudi Post tweeted, "The Sudan News Agency (SENA) platform is fake, publishes false news, and is run from the UAE." This claim provoked strong reactions from Saudi users. Mishal Alkhaldi, a Saudi commentator, asserted that "it is unworthy for the general public's mood to turn against you [Emirati tweeters]. You are truly outcasts and hated by Arabs and Muslims, with the exception of mercenaries." Similarly, Bin Owayed, a well-known Saudi ulta-nationalist figure, commented, "To understand their enthusiasm behind every separatist movement in the region, one must recognize that they merely seek to hide behind it, recruit mercenaries from it, and advance their own projects." On the other hand, Emirati users also responded sharply. Adel Sajwani tweeted, "Oil and petroleum do not build nations. There are countries that possess far more oil than us, yet for forty or fifty years, they struggled with governance, while their people drowned in poverty, insecurity, and theft. But a true leader built a state in the desert that everyone now wishes to live in [...]." Similarly, Mohammed Taqi, an Emirati commentator, wrote, "There is an official and verified account that insults the UAE and its symbols. We will respond ethically and continue to highlight the nation's achievements. We take pride in our global accomplishments across all fields and will continue to showcase them." At the official level, the Emirati News Agency (WAM) tweeted, "The National Media Office stresses the need for social media users to adhere to national values and policies." Likewise, Turki Al Sheikh, a high-ranking Saudi adviser and Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, called for restraint, tweeting, "Gulf relations run deeper than anything else… They are relations of religion, blood, customs, traditions, kinship, and brotherhood. Do not think that you are defending your country by offending others. It is shameful to see any insults, especially in this holy month." Adding to the call for responsible discourse, Saudi Arabia’s Al-Madina newspaper published an article titled "Tweet with Awareness," in which Ahmed Aldhufairi argued that regulations and laws are not intended to suppress "freedom of speech," but rather to "promote positive content and prevent users from being swept away by uncalculated trends that could have legal consequences."
More Gulf Opinions
On the Saudi - Emirati Clash
“Who is like [UAE’s] Zayed”
Turki Al Sheikh, X, (Saudi Arabia), March 15, 2025.
“A strongly worded statement from the UAE National Media Office: All social media users in the country must adhere to values, ethics, respect, and tolerance, and not insult symbols or sister countries. Legal action will be taken against anyone who violates these directives”
Saleh Alshihi, X, (UAE), March 16, 2025.
“You are above them, my lord ♥️ [Zayed],
such disgraceful words and the lowest of people..”
Bu Khalid, X, (UAE), March 14, 2025.
Other Topics
“President Trump seeks to deliver a fierce military message to Iran, a dual-purpose signal that begins with Yemen. The core of the message is that negotiations are still possible, provided there is a structured diplomatic framework to build upon, unlike the approach taken in the previous nuclear agreement.”
Fahad Alshoqiran, Asharq Al-Awsat, (Saudi Arabia), March 20, 2025.
“The occupation authorities’ decision to cut off electricity to the Gaza Strip amid its current catastrophic situation—caused by the genocidal war waged against the region—does not concern Trump in the slightest, unless his silence signifies approval. The reality is that the only option for the Arabs to confront Trump’s decisions, which undermine their interests and rights, is to respond with a unified stance backed by serious and firm mechanisms”
Radhi Alsammak, Albilad, (Bahrain), March 18, 2025.
“The Israeli enemy has become tyrannical and arrogant, acting with impunity as there is no force to deter it, no voice to say ‘enough,’ and no international consensus to curb its aggression and its shedding of innocent blood. In light of this, the Palestinians have no choice but to confront this reckless aggression with their bare chests and their limited military capabilities.”
Khalid Almalik, Aljazirah, (Saudi Arabia), March 19, 2025.
“Those who support the Houthis, Hezbollah, and the remaining sectarian militias in Iraq seem to have learned nothing from the lessons of the past. Today, the tables are beginning to turn on them, one by one. The latest is the deluded Houthi leader, whose fate will mirror that of Hezbollah in Lebanon, for the calculations of major powers are far greater than a ‘wasp buzzing around the ruins of its own nest.’"
Ahmed Al Jarallah, Alseyassah, (Kuwait), March 20, 2025.
“Establishing a sphere of influence in southern Syria serves Israel’s goals that go beyond security to encompass political and regional strategic objectives. If Israel succeeds in its plan to shape a new reality in Syria, it may effectively redraw the region’s strategic map. This could pave the way for a new phase of regional competition, where Syria would no longer be merely a battleground for traditional powers but a space where Israel emerges as a significant player in shaping its future.”
Ahmed Jaffar, Albilad, (Bahrain), March 17, 2025.
“Today, Syria is undergoing a phase of political and economic reconfiguration. For the first time, it will be geographically linked to the Gulf region, following decades of partisan barriers that had hindered such a connection. Syria is now moving toward regional and international openness, supported by a wave of Arab diplomatic engagement that may form the nucleus of a new Arab alliance—one capable of reshaping the balance of power in the region.”
Ahmed Alhosni, Aletihad, (UAE), March 21, 2025.
“Emiratis have their own class …Thank you President Trump for having us.”
Hassan Sajwani, X, (UAE), March 19, 2025.
“Despite the efforts of Saudi Arabia, peace lovers, and justice lovers, they made a great effort to achieve the truce!! But...and these are the results of the terrorist criminals (Israel and Hamas) today in the Gaza Strip”
Qenan Alghamdi, X, (Saudi Arabia), March 18, 2025.
Gulf Nashra Picks
Book: Qadhi, Yasir “Understanding Salafism.” Oneworld Academic, June 12, 2025.
Research: “Beyond the usual suspects – bringing in Kuwait’s Shiʿi Islamists.” Hamad H. Albloshi, Courtney Freer & Morten Valbjørn, Middle Eastern Studies, March 03, 2025, English .
Analysis: “Challenges Ahead For UAE-Iran Rapprochement.” Leonardo Mazzucco, STIMSON, February 20, 2025.
Podcast: “Why Doesn’t the Gulf Have a Unified Currency?” Jadi Podcast, March 16, 2025. [Arabic].
Research: “Strategic Shifts in the Gulf: GCC Defence Diversification amidst US Decline.” Tyler B. Parker & Ali Bakir, The International Spectator, October 14, 2024.
Analysis: “The Qatari Challenge: Strategic Dilemmas and Policy Options for Israel.” Yoel Guzansky, INSS, March 17, 2025.
Podcast: “Why Does Trump Support Israel and Abandon Ukraine?” Mikhyal, Abdullah Al-Bandar hosts Hisham Al-Ghannam. [Arabic].
Report: “Football, Identity and Politics In and From the MENA Region.” Javier Bordón, SEPAD, 2025. [PDF].
Podcast: “Navigating global investment in Saudi with Ari Matityahu” The Majlis Podcast, February 02, 2025.