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Throughout the past several decades, with each peace agreement the climate in the Middle East has adapted. While relations are still tense, we generally do not see warm embraces and strong voices of support for Israel from Arab countries, but over time we do see the political and economic interests paving the way for more tepid responses regarding the Jewish state. In the current war, this can be seen in the Arab League’s response to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Reports suggest that “four influential countries” prevented the adoption of some measures against Israel, and instead the influential parties proposed more vague clauses reprimanding Israel, but falling short of making some harsh demands.
Two of the major players in the Arab world who have an interest in continuing their ties with Israel are the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. The UAE already established normalization with Israel, and Saudi Arabia is widely thought to be the next prospect for a peace/normalization agreement.
The UAE’s initial response to the October 7th massacre was to show sympathy toward Israel’s loss. Following, they have joined in on the condemnation of Israel, but despite this, ties between the countries remain strong.
Saudi Arabia responded with a condemnation of Israel’s operation in Gaza and a call for a ceasefire, in line with the usual Arab response, but there were also a few actions indicating a change in their response. One, a former Saudi intelligence figure gave an interview in English denouncing Hamas for killing civilians along with condemning Israel. Additionally, the Saudi-owned news channel Al Arabiya aired an interview with Hamas head abroad Kahled Meshaal asking tough questions, questions that are rarely seen coming from Arab news agencies, including asking if Hamas’s actions are not the same as ISIS
While we will be hard-pressed to find warm embraces and direct support of Israel from the Arab world, the complexity of the region requires a more nuanced reading between the lines.
Taking for example the surprising responses by Saudi Arabia, it may be that the Gulf state is attempting to carefully balance their desire to undercut Hamas and avoid direct conflict with Iran, while simultaneously keeping the door open for normalization with Israel in the future.
These once non-existent political and economical considerations are now popping up throughout the Middle East, potentially offering a glimmer of hope for the future of the region. A region which will always include a strong and independent state of Israel, and hopefully will incorporate more Arab countries, even if quietly behind the scenes, supporting the fight against Iranian proxies and working to build a more prosperous and peaceful Middle East.
On This Topic 👁
Economist | Why Saudi Arabia & UAE Want to Keep Links With Israel (Free Sign Up to Read)
https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2023/10/22/are-the-abraham-accords-over
On Egypt
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/03/26/egypt-israel-peace-treaty-1233742
On Jordan
https://www.brookings.edu/articles/25-years-on-remembering-the-path-to-peace-for-jordan-and-israel/
On Abraham Accords
https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/two-years-abraham-accords-bear-fruit