Calls to boycott MBC over TV series that promotes normalization with “Israel”
The series, "Exit 7", normalized the existence of "Israel" and promoted the idea that the Palestinians are the real enemies.
Riyadh (QNN) – The Saudi channel MBC and director Nasser al-Qasabi sparked a stir on social media after a popular Ramadan series broadcast on attacked Palestinians and encouraged normalisation with the Israeli occupation.
The second episode of “Exit 7” series showed a conversation between the superstar Saudi actors Nasser Al-Qasabi and Rashid Al-Shamrani, where the latter said he intends to deal with Israelis for business purposes.
Al-Qasabi’s character was seen shocked, and noted that “Israelis are enemies.” But Al-Shamrani’s character replied saying “the real enemy is the one who shows no gratitude for your stance, dismisses your sacrifices and curses you day and night, more than the Israelis”.
Al-Shamrani’s character continues to say: “we entered wars for the sake of Palestine, we cut oil for Palestine and the day it became an authority, we paid its salaries even though we [the Saudi people] have more right over this money. Yet they take every opportunity to attack Saudi Arabia”.
Other scenes during the episod normalized the existence of “Israel” and promoted the idea that the Palestinians are the real enemies. The episode included scenes where the actors say “Palestinians sold their land to Israel” and “Israel’s existence is a fact whether you like it or not.”
The scenes were shared widely across social media platforms, accusing MBC and al-Qasabi of promoting normalization. Activists called to boycott the channel which, they say, adopts Saudi Arabia’s ongoing bid to normalise relations with “Israel.”
“This entire episode was a clear attempt to normalise the audience’s minds over Israel, which was repeated more than 30 times in a frame of 30 minutes in episode 2 of this series,” Palestinian author and media professor, Dr Nawaf Tamimi told The New Arab.
“This is just part of the growing systemic discourse adopted by the advocates of Israeli normalisation in the ‘new’ Saudi Arabia,” Tamimi added, noting that the inclusion of the debate in a popular Ramadan series is a deliberate and calculated attempt to reach the masses.
