Saudi Media Diplomacy about Israel;The case study of Middle East Broadcasting Center (MBC)

As one of the most important countries in Southwest Asia, Saudi Arabia has had a tumultuous performance in the field of foreign policy at the regional level. After King Salman got into power in 2015, many changes have taken place in the country's foreign policy. One of these important changes is the change in the media policy towards other countries, and Israel is one of them. The issue of deal of the century in the 2018 by the United States President and the efforts of Saudi Arabia to normalize relations with the Zionist regime became the importance of Saudi diplomacy regarding the Zionist regime. This study aims to examine Saudi media diplomacy on Israel after the inauguration of Muhammad bin Salman (i.e. from 2017 to 2019); therefore, MBC (Middle East Broadcasting Center), one of the most important media centers in Saudi Arabia, which It has more than 15 satellite channels, was selected for this research.The research approach is a qualitative, the collection method is documentary with the thematic analysis. Sampling was also performed in a possible targeted manner. More than 200 samples were examined, which resulted in 6 comprehensive themes. Israel's security and military authority and the Zionist regime's rationality in defensive actions are part of the comprehensive themes. The representation of Israel on MBC is positive in general, and it represents Israel as a legitimate, powerful, and rational state.