Head of Gulf Research Center clarifies comments on Gaza published in Le Monde newspaper
Head of Gulf Research Center clarifies comments on Gaza published in Le Monde newspaper/node/2429816/media
Head of Gulf Research Center clarifies comments on Gaza published in Le Monde newspaper
The chair of the Gulf Research Center, Abdulaziz Sager, on Thursday wrote to French newspaper Le Monde clarifying his position on comments about the conflict in Gaza. (Reuters/File Photo)
Head of Gulf Research Center clarifies comments on Gaza published in Le Monde newspaper
Sager’s letter was in response to an article published in the newspaper on Dec 20
He says quotes attributed to him about a possible Saudi-French plan to exile Hamas leaders to Algeria were personal opinions and not the policy of any government body
Updated 21 December 2023
Arab News
LONDON: The chair of the Gulf Research Center, Abdulaziz Sager, on Thursday wrote to French newspaper Le Monde clarifying his position on comments about the conflict in Gaza that were attributed to him in a story published the previous day.
The newspaper’s story suggested that there was a proposed joint Saudi-French plan to exile Hamas leaders to Algeria. However, sources have denied this.
Sager said that the opinions expressed by him in the Le Monde story were his own, shared off the record, and did not reflect or represent the views of any official body or organization.
Dr. Abdulaziz Sager, Chairman of the Gulf Research Center, letter to ‘Le Monde’ in response to the article published on December 20, 2023. Dr. Sager confirms his personal opinions are his own and do not reflect nor represent any governmental views. pic.twitter.com/s7ma7s5Egj
— Gulf Research Center - مركز الخليج للأبحاث (@Gulf_Research) December 21, 2023
He wrote: “I read the article published in your newspaper on Dec. 20, 2023, by journalist Benjamin Barthe,” titled Transfer Hamas military leaders to Algiers: A Saudi plan submitted to the French Foreign Ministry.
“In it, the journalist mentioned some opinions that were attributed to me regarding Gaza. In all cases, I express my own opinions as a researcher interested in Gulf affairs and as the head of an independent research institution.
“These opinions were not meant for publishing. Naturally, they do not reflect the opinions of any governmental or official body whatsoever.
“I wanted to clarify that all that has been mentioned in the piece, attributed to me, does not reflect the position of any government body, whether Saudi or French, but mere personal ideas, suggestions and opinions.”
LONDON: Few cultural imports have crossed borders as unexpectedly, or as powerfully, as Grendizer, the Japanese giant robot that half a century ago became a childhood hero across the Arab world, nowhere more so than in Saudi Arabia.
Created in Japan in the mid-1970s by manga artist Go Nagai, Grendizer was part of the “mecha” tradition of giant robots. The genre was shaped by Japan’s experience during the Second World War, and explored themes of invasion, resistance and loss through the medium of science fiction.
But while the series enjoyed moderate success in Japan, its true legacy was established thousands of kilometers away in the Middle East.
By the early 1980s, “Grendizer” had spread across the Middle East, inspiring fandoms in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq and beyond. (Supplied)
The anime “UFO Robot Grendizer” arrived on television in the region in 1979, dubbed into Arabic and initially broadcast in Lebanon during the Lebanese civil war. The story it told of the heroic Duke Fleed, a displaced prince whose planet had been destroyed by alien invaders, struck a chord with children growing up amid regional conflict and occupation by Israel.
Its themes of defending one’s homeland, standing up to aggression and protecting the innocent were painfully relevant in the region, transforming the series from mere entertainment into a kind of emotional refuge.
Much of the show’s impact came from its successful Arabization. The powerful Arabic dubbing and emotionally charged voice-acting, especially by Lebanese actor Jihad El-Atrash as Duke Fleed, lent the show a moral gravity unmatched by other cartoons of the era.
While the series enjoyed moderate success in Japan, its true legacy was established thousands of kilometers away in the Middle East. (Supplied)
The theme song for the series, performed by Sami Clark, became an anthem that the Lebanese singer continued to perform at concerts and festivals right up until his death in 2022.
By the early 1980s, “Grendizer” had spread across the Middle East, inspiring fandoms in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq and beyond. For many, it was not only their first exposure to anime, it also delivered lessons on values such as justice and honor.
Grendizer was so influential in the region that it became the subject of scholarly research, which in addition to recognizing the ways in which the plight of the show’s characters resonated with the audience in the Middle East, also linked the show’s popularity to generational memories of displacement, particularly the Palestinian Nakba.
By the early 1980s, “Grendizer” had spread across the Middle East, inspiring fandoms in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq and beyond. (Supplied)
Half a century later, “Grendizer” remains culturally alive and relevant in the region. In Saudi Arabia, which embraced the original version of the show wholeheartedly, Manga Productions is now introducing a new generation of fans to a modernized version of the character, through a video game, The Feast of The Wolves, which is available in Arabic and eight other languages on platforms including PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch, and a new Arabic-language anime series, “Grendizer U,” which was broadcast last year.
Fifty years after the debut of the show, “Grendizer” is back — although to a generation of fans of the original series, their shelves still full of merchandise and memorabilia, it never really went away.
