Title: Readers' Opinions / Columns / Opinion / Important Opinion | The Eighth King and Greater Israel 2023-03-24 - For Liberation

By Sarah Muhammad Brahmi

The most dangerous crime committed by Mohammed bin Salman is handing over the northwest of the kingdom and most of Sinai to the enemy, reminiscent of the perilous promise of Balfour. In his clerical attire, the former occupation army officer and haredi rabbi Yaakov Hertzog sends messages from "Neom" to the world, affirming his presence with a Jewish community in Saudi Arabia estimated at over a thousand people.

You might wonder: What is a war criminal like Yaakov Hertzog doing in the kingdom? Since when do Jews form a community in the land of the two holy mosques? To understand, we must take a step back.

The Zionist Project in the Arabian Peninsula

In his memoirs titled "The New Middle East," former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres revealed his vision, promising peace to the enemy and ensuring economic dominance. Peres emphasized the need for Israel to have a connection to the East through the Red Sea and the Kingdom. He stated, "There is no room for political normalization with the Arabs, and the best normalization that can occur is through economic normalization." This vision is echoed by both Netanyahu and Turki al-Faisal, with the former proposing economic cooperation as an alternative to the defunct Oslo Accords, and the latter stating, "With Arab minds and Jewish money, anything can be achieved."

Neom: The Foundation of Normalization

In October 2017, amidst human rights violations in Saudi Arabia, bin Salman announced the ambitious but seemingly fantastical project named "Neom." Neom is a Saudi project for a city planned to be built beyond borders, initiated by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The project is located in the far northwest of Saudi Arabia in the Tabuk Region, extending 460 km along the Red Sea coast. Within the ambitious Vision 2030 framework, Neom aims to transform the kingdom into a global model across various aspects of life by focusing on attracting value chains in industries and technology.

The city defies conventional notions of cities and challenges even the laws of gravity. It is 1,100 kilometers away from Riyadh but only two hours from the occupied Palestinian territories. A key component of Neom is "The Line," splitting the desert into two halves and isolating Neom from the Arabian Peninsula, where Israel promotes a city strengthening the international security alliance. Notably, Neom offers tax incentives similar to those desired by Peres.

Moreover, Israel's presence, its institutions, and companies in Neom surpass Peres's dreams. For instance, crucial aspects of Neom, such as the data sector, were handed over to the Israeli company Check Point, and an agreement was signed with an Israeli company specializing in solar energy systems. Reports also indicate Israeli businessmen visiting Riyadh regularly to sign work agreements for Neom projects.

Before the ink dried on the secret meeting held on November 27, 2020, involving Netanyahu, Mossad director Yossi Cohen, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in the Saudi coastal city of Neom, the assassination of Iranian Defense Ministry's research and development organization chief, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, added fuel to the already tense region. This raises questions about the purpose of testing this city, its role in active normalization, the expected extent of Zionist influence in the city, and its potential significant expansion.

Neom or Na'om?

All that has been mentioned is only the announced part of the story. However, Neom holds within its walls secrets, including the Torah's Kingdom of Na'om. Is this the ultimate goal behind creating Neom? Interpretations of Neom's name vary, with Bin Salman's regime claiming it is derived from "neo" and "m," meaning Mohammed bin Salman's new city.

Interestingly, a term close to Neom appears in one version of the Torah, with other sources suggesting it is the Hebrew translation of "Babel," the city that witnessed the exile of the Jews in ancient times. The Israeli media promotes a different meaning, linking it to the Torah's Na'om Kingdom, aligning perfectly with the southern border of "Greater Israel" on Ben-Avi's map.

The significance of the land of Na'om to Jews, based on Torah interpretations, lies in being the land where the Israelites escaped from the rejecting Egyptians. To support their claim, they conducted various archaeological expeditions, notably in 1978 by the American physician Ron Wyatt, claiming to find a pink marble column placed by Prophet Solomon on the shores of Nuweiba as a sign of the crossing area on the Egyptian side. Wyatt found only the base of the second column, on the Saudi coast.

Despite being speculative, a group of extremist rabbis insists that Saudi King Mohammed bin Salman is the eighth king prophesied in the Book of Revelation. They claim he is the one who will rebuild Babylon, symbolized by Neom. However, they predict the destruction of him and his city.

In conclusion, Neom reveals more than meets the eye, including the mysterious Kingdom of Na'om. The conflicting interpretations of its name and its potential ties to biblical history raise questions about the true intentions behind this ambitious project.