VOICES

Loay Alshareef

Saudi Arabian activist

A leading Arab social media influencer and advocate for coexistence with Israel, Loay Alshareef has enjoyed a busy year in the wake of the historic Abraham Accords that brought peace between the Jewish state and the Gulf kingdoms of the UAE and Bahrain. Alshareef’s posts on Instagram and other platforms have shown him at key sites around the Middle East, including on a pilgrimage to Mecca, as well as speaking to leading regional politicians, among them Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid. A Saudi national who is said to be close to the Saudi royal family, Alshareef first emerged in 2018 with a Hebrew language message to Israelis claiming they had nothing to fear from a Saudi nuclear weapon. Alshareef also runs the Loya Academy, which offers a number of language courses, including Hebrew. (Photo: Personal Instagram)