Ontological Security: A Critical Analysis of Israel's Normalization With the Gulf Cooperation Council in Exit 7

Abstract

This study employs a postcolonial critique of Middle East Broadcasting Center's Saudi television show, Exit 7, around the issue of normalization. The authors argue that episode 3 of Exit 7 showcases a new shift in Middle Eastern relations with Israel. The show demonstrates a deep-rooted change in ontological security of the Arab region and the globe at large, disrupting the routines of Arab individuals and calling into question their national identity, which for the most part, was anti-Israel. The authors explore ontological security at both a state level and a structural level in terms of the audience's relation to popular culture and the media. Through state-controlled media, they argue that Saudi Arabia can incrementally introduce new narratives that challenge long-standing animosities toward Israel and cultivate a sense of ontological security, which may, over time, further mask the apartheid occurring in Israel.