In the 1930s and early 1940s, King Abd al-Aziz Al-Saud, the founder of the modern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia better known in the West as Ibn Saud, was isolated both ideologically and politically in the wider Arab world. His state religion, the Wahabi interpretation of Sunni Islam, was viewed by outsiders as a fanatical sect that threatened stability in neighboring countries, especially Iraq, Transjordan, and the Gulf states, where British influence was paramount. In a revealing memorandum, the British diplomat Sir Andrew Ryan wrote in July 1932 that Saudi isolation was less pronounced than it had been, as Ibn Saud had “learned to control his hatred, if not his suspicion, of the Hashemites,” his old rivals from the Hijaz who were expelled by Saudi conquest, only to be placed on the thrones of British protectorates in Iraq and Transjordan. “Carefully nurtured sympathy with [Ibn Saud] seems to abound in Palestine and Syria,” Ryan concluded.

It is in this specific context that Palestine and the upheaval of 1948 became part of the construction of Saudi Arabia's historical narrative. This chapter explores the official presentation that highlights the Saudi contribution to “defending” Palestine. It considers the dissenting voices who challenged the authenticity and credibility of this official narrative. Finally, by navigating a thin line that separates the official from the unofficial, it aims to present an interpretation and assessment of Saudi involvement in the 1948 War that goes beyond the official discourse of glorification and the counter-narratives of condemnation and accusation.