A JPPI AI study finds media critical of the war, but warm on cooperation with Israel.
This possible conclusion stems from an analysis conducted by experts at the Glazer Information Center of the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI). Utilizing advanced AI tools, they analyzed hundreds of opinion pieces and columns published over the past year in major English-language Saudi newspapers, such as Asharq Al-Awsat, Arab News, and Saudi Gazette.
The analysis revealed that, as is typical across much of the Arab world, a significant majority of articles present a negative or highly negative tone toward Israel. Positive portrayals of Israel are virtually nonexistent.
However, in a surprising twist, the findings indicate a starkly different picture regarding the topic of normalization with Israel.
In opinion pieces and articles that addressed normalization, the AI-driven analysis found that the normalization process between Israel and Saudi Arabia is generally mentioned in a neutral tone. This neutral stance is noteworthy, especially given the overwhelmingly negative tone toward Israel overall.
Data Sources and Methodology
The articles were sourced from the LexisNexis database. From thousands of retrieved articles, opinion pieces and commentaries were filtered using LexisNexis attributes and AI tools. After filtering, researchers employed advanced AI tools to examine the following questions:
1. What is the tone toward Israel in the article?
2. How prominently is the topic of normalization addressed?
3. If mentioned, what is the tone toward normalization?
Key Insights
The neutral tone toward normalization likely reflects a directive from Saudi authorities, considering that normalization of relations with Israel is a prominent issue and is expected to progress in the near future.
Yaakov Katz, Senior Fellow at JPPI, said: "While the Saudi media remains overwhelmingly critical of Israel when it comes to the war, the issue of normalization is depicted as a positive trend, and one which will benefit the region as a whole. This kind of balancing act suggests that the ground is being prepared for a different future for the region in which Israel is a legitimate partner."