Saudi social-media influencer Mohammed Saud played Israel’s national anthem “Hatikvah” on an oud, a traditional Arab instrument, and posted it on his Twitter account on July 15.
The Twitter caption, in Hebrew, says: “Preparing for peace and normalization, practicing in the meantime,” reported the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).
On Saturday, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister denied previous reports that his country has been involved in discussions on setting up a Gulf-Israeli defense alliance.
Furthermore, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud also told reporters after a U.S.-Arab summit “that Riyadh’s decision to open its airspace to all air carriers [including Israeli airliners] had nothing to do with establishing diplomatic ties with Israel and was not a precursor to further steps,” according to Reuters.