Israeli Film is Not Showcasing at a Saudi Cinema

A video post shared on Facebook showing hundreds of Saudi civilians waiting outside a building claims to be an inauguration of an Israeli film at a newly opened cinema complex.

The post above was shared on September 22, 2020, originating from a single user from Srinagar, Jammu, and Kashmir, and has since been shared over 201 times within the region, spreading to users in India and Pakistan. The caption on the video in Arabic translates to “The opening of a cinema in Saudi Arabia is a delayed world.” Other users continue to share the video.

The reaction from Facebook users who commented on the post has been one of anger towards the Saudi royal family, particularly Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and President Trump. The same video began circulating in May 2019 from an Arabic blog titled ‘Snape Plus’, claiming that the crowd was waiting for the first cinema opening in the Kingdom, without mentioning it was for an Israeli film.



The title translates as “This congestion is due to the opening of a cinema for the first time in # Saudi Arabia.”