Middle East: Saudi Arabia has taken a mysterious financial step regarding Palestinians, canceling all forms of financial transfers to Palestine without explaining the reasons for this decision. At a time when UN warnings about famine spreading in Gaza are increasing, and residents resort to eating animal fodder and slaughtering horses for food, the Saudi decision deepens this suffering at a sensitive time, with no justification other than Riyadh's apparent lack of interest in the Palestinian cause, contradicting statements from some of its officials.

According to sources, the decision includes all bank transfers, whether individual or commercial, and it means that banks and exchange shops can no longer receive any remittances from Saudi Arabia after this decision. It also means that no one can transfer any amount of money from Saudi Arabia to Palestine, whether through banks, exchange shops, or fast transfers via Western Union or MoneyGram.

Saudi Aid to Ukraine

Ironically, this decision comes after Saudi Arabia sent its ninth relief plane to Ukraine via the Polish Zosnov airport, preparing to enter Ukraine through the Polish borders, as part of Riyadh's aid to the Ukrainian people. The cargo includes generators and electrical appliances, weighing a total of 80 tons. Considering that this is the ninth plane sent from Saudi Arabia to Ukraine, it indicates the scale of aid reaching Kiev, which has amounted to hundreds of tons.

Ukrainian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Anatoliy Petrenko described this aid as "strong evidence of the permanent partnership between the two countries, and Saudi Arabia's continuous and steadfast support for Ukraine by international law, confirming Arab humanity and generosity."

The question arises from the praise of the Ukrainian ambassador for Saudi Arabia: where is international law, humanity, and Arab generosity in Riyadh's dealings with occupied Palestine and specifically Gaza, especially in light of Saudi readiness to normalize with the Zionist entity after the war?

Saudi Arabia signed an agreement last year to provide additional humanitarian assistance to Ukraine worth $400 million. It has also previously provided urgent medical and shelter assistance worth $10 million to refugees from Ukraine to neighboring countries, especially Poland, in coordination with the Polish government and UN organizations.

Half a Million Palestinians in Saudi Arabia

According to estimates from the Palestinian Refugee Affairs Department of the Palestine Liberation Organization, the number of Palestinians in Saudi Arabia ranges between 400,000 and 500,000 individuals, with between 270,000 and 300,000 of them living in Jeddah alone. This underscores the urgent need for remittances for the families of these expatriates, given the situation they are currently experiencing due to the policy of genocide and starvation committed by the Israeli occupation forces there.

International data indicates that the contribution of Palestinian expatriates to the Palestinian economy reached 18.6 percent in 2022, and according to World Bank data, the contribution of Palestinian expatriates around the world to their country's economy amounted to about $3.5 billion by the end of 2022.

Palestine ranked fourth in terms of the size of the contribution of Arab expatriates to the economies of their countries in 2022, and this decision will have a catastrophic impact on the already deteriorating Palestinian economy due to the decline in expatriate contributions.

Previous Saudi Obstruction

In June 2019, Saudi Arabia took a similar decision regarding Palestinian remittances. After a campaign of arrests and harassment against members of the Palestinian community, Riyadh took unprecedented steps to tighten its grip on Palestinians inside and outside the kingdom.

The step involved suspending official and unofficial bank transfers, and its nearly complete cessation at that time exacerbated the suffering of Palestinians inside and outside Saudi Arabia.

Despite the massive financial resources available to the kingdom, the total donations provided by Saudi Arabia to the Palestinian people have not exceeded 300 million Saudi riyals, as of mid-February, which is no more than 25% of the support agreement provided to Ukraine last year.

Hostile Positions

The recent decision to block remittances from Palestinian expatriates in Saudi Arabia seems to be part of a hostile campaign led by Saudi media, directed by the royal palace, against the Palestinian people and resistance. This includes blaming the Palestinian resistance for the genocide massacres committed by the Israeli occupation with full support from the United States and Britain against the Palestinian people. Additionally, it prevents citizens and residents in the kingdom from showing any sympathy with the Palestinian people or holding any popular demonstrations in support of the Palestinians in the face of Zionist genocide crimes. Moreover, Saudi clerics have condemned Palestinian resistance, adding to a long list of hostile Saudi positions towards the Palestinian cause. The most recent was yesterday when Saudi police arrested a female pilgrim from inside the Mecca Grand Mosque for raising the Palestinian flag.

Source: YPA, translated by Almasirah English website