Crown Prince Saud Granted Each Soldier Who Fought in Palestine 200 Riyals After Greeting Them:
The Story of a Saudi Nonagenarian Who Participated in the 1948 War:
According to Al‑Dawadmi Newspaper, Saud bin Badi Al‑Rumayli, a man in his nineties residing in Jubbah—103 km northwest of Hail—is one of the Saudi soldiers who took part in the 1948 Palestine War. He still preserves memories of his participation and was among the 1,200 Saudi soldiers who joined the Arab League forces at the time.
As he recounted to Al‑Arabiya.net, he and his fellow soldiers were influenced by what they heard regarding the situation between local communities and the Jewish forces in the region. He explained that the perceptions they had formed before arriving were different from the realities they later witnessed on the ground.
Saud left his hometown of Jubbah on foot, at no more than twenty years of age, heading north. He crossed the border and obtained permission to join the Saudi forces deployed there.
He stated that he remained in Palestine for two years, moving from one position to another with his unit, carrying rifles and machine guns. The battles, he said, were intense and continuous. He referred to the engagements as “battles of confrontation,” such as those in Jenin and Rafah, noting that hardly a day passed without clashes. He added that the fighting was back‑and‑forth, with victories and losses on both sides, and that the opposing forces demonstrated far greater combat capability than he and others had initially imagined.
Saud recounted a particular night when he felt uneasy due to a dream he had seen. He told his friend Ghanem that they should separate for the night so that, if one of them were killed, the other could report the news. Each dug his own trench so they would not both fall in the same place if attacked.
That evening, an Israeli aircraft circled overhead. In their previous position, a number of Iraqi soldiers—participating as part of Iraq’s contingent in the 1948 war—were stationed. One Iraqi soldier fired at the aircraft, revealing their location. The plane then launched a severe strike, resulting in the deaths of approximately 400 Iraqi soldiers, while Saud and his group survived because they had moved earlier.
Saud explained that the battles in Palestine involved losses on both sides. He personally knew several Saudi soldiers who were killed there, including men from Hail and other regions of the Kingdom.
Regarding the end of the war and his return to Saudi Arabia, Saud said that in 1949, following the armistice, vehicles transported them to Taif. There, they met Crown Prince Saud (later King Saud), who walked among the ranks of the Saudi fighters who had served in Palestine. They remained in Taif for the Hajj season at the state’s expense.
Crown Prince Saud granted each soldier 200 silver Saudi riyals, not paper currency, in addition to six gold pounds provided by the Arab League. Although twelve gold pounds had originally been allocated, only six were distributed due to wartime and economic conditions.
The Crown Prince then told the soldiers that whoever wished to remain in the army could do so, and whoever wished to return to his family was free to leave. Some stayed and joined the army, while others returned home. Saud was among those who returned, carrying what he described as a “small fortune” of more than 200 silver riyals. He later married and began his life.