The following is a collection of MEMRI TV clips of speakers expressing support for Middle East peace initiatives in 2022. Producing such content is very costly, and your help allows us to continue our vital work of supporting counterterrorism efforts in the U.S. and throughout the West. We are very grateful to those of our valued readers who have already donated this year, and ask those who have not yet done so to please consider making a tax-deductible donation now.
This research is part of the MEMRI Reform Project, which informs our constantly growing audience about promoters of reform in the Arab and Muslim world, while highlighting the obstacles that they face in advancing such reforms.
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The following are selected MEMRI TV clips in support of peace in the Middle East from the Reform Project in 2022.
#9698 - Saudi Social Media Influencer Mohammed Saud Plays Israel's National Anthem On An Oud
On July 15, 2022, Saudi social media influencer Mohammed Saud posted on his Twitter account a video of him playing “HaTikva”, Israel’s national anthem, on an oud, a traditional Arab instrument. The Twitter caption said in Hebrew: "Preparing for peace and normalization, practicing in the meantime."
Lebanese journalist Nadim Koteich said in a May 20, 2022 show on MBC TV (Lebanon) that Lebanon must join the Abraham Accords and make peace with Israel. In addition, he said that Hizbullah has hijacked Lebanon, and that this will only change when there is change in Iran, in the same way that Communist parties throughout the world disappeared when the Soviet Union collapsed. For more about Nadim Koteich, see MEMRI TV Clips Nos. 9386, 8937, 8382, 8001, 7769, 7668, 7221, 7140 and 5675.
Kuwaiti writer Jasem Al-Juraid said in a show that was uploaded to the Diwan Al-Mulla YouTube channel on May 25, 2022 that Kuwait should make peace and normalize relations with Israel. He said that even the Palestinians themselves have effectively done this, and that this does not contradict their right to resolving their problems with Israel. Al-Juraid also said that anybody who kills civilians, on either side, should be considered a terrorist. It is noteworthy that in February 2022, Al-Juraid was fired from his position as a journalist for Kuwait's Al-Qabas newspaper after he interacted with an Israeli journalist on Twitter and invited him to visit Kuwait.
Lebanese politician and Shi'ite religious scholar Sheikh Abbas Al-Jawhari said in a May 1, 2022 interview on MTV (Lebanon) that there is no longer a real Lebanese resistance against Israel since there has been no Israeli presence in Lebanon since 2006. He pointed out, however, that the Lebanese have failed in the project of building the state during this time. He also emphasized that feeding hungry people is more important than Jerusalem or than building a new mosque.
In an April 29, 2022 interview on Asharq TV (Saudi Arabia), UAE politician Ahmed Al-Jarwan, the president of the Global Council for Tolerance and Peace, praised normalization with Israel and condemned the Muslim Brotherhood, the Houthis, Hizbullah, and the IRGC. He said that the Muslim Brotherhood is a harmful extremist group, that the Houthis tarnish the name of Islam, that Hizbullah is hijacking Lebanon, and that the Arabs don't have a problem with the Shi'ites or Iran, but with the Iranian ruling system and the IRGC. In addition, he said that while in the past, Egypt was the only Arab country that could help the Palestinians negotiate with Israel, there are now five such countries who have normalized relations with Israel. He urged the Palestinians to "make good use" of these normalization initiatives, which can help establish a Palestinian state.
Saudi political analyst Ahmad Al-Rokban, the director-general of the media department at Imam Mohammad bin Saud Islamic University, said in a February 13, 2022 interview on Al-Ahd TV (Iraq) that Iran is "the most dangerous country in this day and age." When asked about Saudi Arabia receiving help from Israel, Al-Rokban replied that Saudi Arabia receives help from other non-Muslim countries that "occupy other countries," like America and Russia. He elaborated that Israel is not the only "plunderer," and pointed out that in the opinion of the Saudis, Iran plunders Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Bahrain.
Paris-based Lebanese film producer Omar Harfouch said in a December 9, 2022 interview on MTV (Lebanon) that the recent maritime border deal between Israel and Lebanon is de facto recognition of Israel and makes him "very optimistic", since it means that Israel is no longer an enemy of Lebanon. He said that liberating Jerusalem is part of Hizbullah's ideology, but that he has no interest in this, particularly since there are several agreements between Israel and the Palestinians. He elaborated: "[I] don't want to liberate Jerusalem... I want to liberate Lebanon from the cartel, the corruption, and the sectarianism."
