Life in Qatif Remains Comfortable Even With Temporary Lockdown

Mayas Market, Qatif. Photograph by Issa al-Dabis
Mayas Market, Qatif. Photograph by Issa al-Dabis
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Life in Qatif Remains Comfortable Even With Temporary Lockdown

Mayas Market, Qatif. Photograph by Issa al-Dabis
Mayas Market, Qatif. Photograph by Issa al-Dabis

With the temporary lockdown in the province of Qatif, in eastern Saudi Arabia, entering its second week, the situation in the province on the coast of the Arabian Gulf seems ordinary despite concerns of the outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). The medical staff there are working tirelessly, especially in Qatif Central Hospital, where people infected with the virus are being treated.

Two days ago, a patient who was infected in Iran became the hospital's first patient to recover from the virus. 

In a statement to Asharq Al-Awsat, Dr. Zaki al-Zaher, the Chief Executive of Medical and Clinical Affairs in the Department of Health in Qatif, said that the medical team at the Qatif Central Hospital has been working hard to provide care to those infected and that their efforts have led to the recovery of some cases. He added that the Saudi Ministry of Health provided substantive support to medical teams and other employees fighting the virus, including the provision of an airplane to transfer samples to laboratories outside the eastern region in order to accelerate work and make it more efficient. He also said that he was optimistic that “Soon, we will have other recoveries… The effort being exerted is strong, wide and organized, and it will be fruitful."

On Qatif's waterfront, stretching from Saihat south of Qatif, the residents appeared to be living normally. Asharq Al-Awsat observed that many people were playing sports while their presence in markets was sparse amid warnings against crowded gatherings for fear of the virus spreading. A number of families said that they understand the necessity of the lockdown, and that they appreciate the collaborative effort of government agencies to provide the province with its needs.

Qatif includes cities like Saihat, Safwa, Ank and the city of Qatif. It also includes Tarout Island, the second largest on the gulf after Bahrain, among several villages and towns. With the precautionary measures being implemented by the Ministry of Health, the Qatif Municipality has banned street vendors in order to maintain public health with severe penalties for whoever violates these regulations.

Combating Coronavirus takes many forms, including largely relying on people’s awareness. Patient visits have been temporarily suspended.

Government institutions, such as the Ministry of Commerce and municipalities are securing foodstuffs, including vegetables, fruits, and meat, while closely monitoring their sufficient availability. A delegate from the Ministry of Commerce conducted several visits to commercial centers and pharmacies in order to ensure the availability and accessibility of medications, sanitizers, and other items.

Precautionary measures included shutting down crowded markets, such as Qatif Mall, and regulating the work of coffeeshops so that no crowds are allowed in front of them, limiting services to instant takeaway. Shisha cafes have also been closed.

Mayyas market, a popular market in Qatif, remained open to customers as usual.

Many of the citizens who were quarantined, whether in the specified hospitals or in the hotels that they were transferred to after being suspected of carrying the virus, spoke of being well treated by the Saudi authorities in the airports and seaports.

Sheikh Hassan al-Saffar highlighted to Asharq Al-Awsat the importance of religious scholars guiding people, commending the procedures followed by the Saudi Ministry of Health to combat the virus.



Iran-Israel War: A Lifeline for Netanyahu?

FILE - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a ceremony on the eve of Israel's Remembrance Day for fallen soldiers at the Yad LaBanim Memorial in Jerusalem, on April 29, 2025. (Abir Sultan/Pool Photo via AP, File)
FILE - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a ceremony on the eve of Israel's Remembrance Day for fallen soldiers at the Yad LaBanim Memorial in Jerusalem, on April 29, 2025. (Abir Sultan/Pool Photo via AP, File)
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Iran-Israel War: A Lifeline for Netanyahu?

FILE - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a ceremony on the eve of Israel's Remembrance Day for fallen soldiers at the Yad LaBanim Memorial in Jerusalem, on April 29, 2025. (Abir Sultan/Pool Photo via AP, File)
FILE - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a ceremony on the eve of Israel's Remembrance Day for fallen soldiers at the Yad LaBanim Memorial in Jerusalem, on April 29, 2025. (Abir Sultan/Pool Photo via AP, File)

The Iran-Israel war has helped strengthen Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu domestically and overseas, just as his grip on power looked vulnerable.

On the eve of launching strikes on Iran, his government looked to be on the verge of collapse, with a drive to conscript ultra-Orthodox Jews threatening to scupper his fragile coalition.

Nearly two years on from Hamas's unprecedented attack in 2023, Netanyahu was under growing domestic criticism for his handling of the war in Gaza, where dozens of hostages remain unaccounted for, said AFP.

Internationally too, he was coming under pressure including from longstanding allies, who since the war with Iran began have gone back to expressing support.

Just days ago, polls were predicting Netanyahu would lose his majority if new elections were held, but now, his fortunes appear to have reversed, and Israelis are seeing in "Bibi" the man of the moment.

– 'Reshape the Middle East' –

For decades, Netanyahu has warned of the risk of a nuclear attack on Israel by Iran -- a fear shared by most Israelis.

Yonatan Freeman, a geopolitics expert at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, said Netanyahu's argument that the pre-emptive strike on Iran was necessary draws "a lot of public support" and that the prime minister has been "greatly strengthened".

Even the opposition has rallied behind him.

"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is my political rival, but his decision to strike Iran at this moment in time is the right one," opposition leader Yair Lapid wrote in a Jerusalem Post op-ed.

A poll published Saturday by a conservative Israeli channel showed that 54 percent of respondents expressed confidence in the prime minister.

The public had had time to prepare for the possibility of an offensive against Iran, with Netanyahu repeatedly warning that Israel was fighting for its survival and had an opportunity to "reshape the Middle East."

During tit-for-tat military exchanges last year, Israel launched air raids on targets in Iran in October that are thought to have severely damaged Iranian air defenses.

Israel's then-defense minister Yoav Gallant said the strikes had shifted "the balance of power" and had "weakened" Iran.

"In fact, for the past 20 months, Israelis have been thinking about this (a war with Iran)," said Denis Charbit, a political scientist at Israel's Open University.

Since Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, Netanyahu has ordered military action in Gaza, against the Iran-backed Hezbollah group in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen, as well as targets in Syria where long-time leader Bashar al-Assad fell in December last year.

"Netanyahu always wants to dominate the agenda, to be the one who reshuffles the deck himself -- not the one who reacts -- and here he is clearly asserting his Churchillian side, which is, incidentally, his model," Charbit said.

"But depending on the outcome and the duration (of the war), everything could change, and Israelis might turn against Bibi and demand answers."

– Silencing critics –

For now, however, people in Israel see the conflict with Iran as a "necessary war," according to Nitzan Perelman, a researcher specialized in Israel at the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) in France.

"Public opinion supports this war, just as it has supported previous ones," she added.

"It's very useful for Netanyahu because it silences criticism, both inside the country and abroad."

In the weeks ahead of the Iran strikes, international criticism of Netanyahu and Israel's military had reached unprecedented levels.

After more than 55,000 deaths in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, and a blockade that has produced famine-like conditions there, Israel has faced growing isolation and the risk of sanctions, while Netanyahu himself is the subject of an international arrest warrant for alleged war crimes.

But on Sunday, two days into the war with Iran, the Israeli leader received a phone call from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, while Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has held talks with numerous counterparts.

"There's more consensus in Europe in how they see Iran, which is more equal to how Israel sees Iran," explained Freeman from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Tuesday that Israel was doing "the dirty work... for all of us."

The idea that a weakened Iran could lead to regional peace and the emergence of a new Middle East is appealing to the United States and some European countries, according to Freeman.

But for Perelman, "Netanyahu is exploiting the Iranian threat, as he always has."