“Where are the Arab countries? Where are the Arab countries?’
This is the question being asked by citizens of Gaza who have been rendered homeless by Israeli attacks.
The people of Gaza have not only been asking this question for a long time. They wonder why neighbouring Arab countries are not able to protect themselves from Israeli attacks.
All eyes were on West Asia after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7.
How strongly will Israel retaliate against this attack? In addition to this, questions have also been raised about how the people and governments of arab countries will react to the incident.
However, even to this day, the question of how arab countries will react has not been answered properly.
Israel has created havoc with bomb attacks on Gaza.
According to the country’s health ministry, more than 42,500 Palestinians have been killed in the attacks so far.
Despite restrictions in Arab countries on protests against Israel’s attacks on Gaza. The people of those countries continue to express solidarity with the Palestinians.
“As of now, the response of the Arab countries is very disappointing,” Professor Walid Khadia told the BBC. Walid works in the Department of Political Science at the American University of Cairo.
“Countries that are opposed to Israel. “Except for countries like Qatar and Egypt, which are coming forward to mediate in this dispute, no other countries are standing in support of the Palestinians,” he said.
Economic and other sanctions have been imposed on Israel. Prof. Walid said that no Arab country would dare to sever diplomatic ties with that country.
But why is the Palestinian issue losing importance in the region? This means that this question is difficult to answer in view of the current situation in West Asia.
What do the Arab people think?
If you look at the history of Arab countries, all Arabs consider themselves to be one. They are united on the basis of one language and one religion.
But, there are some fears that have emerged from the influence of European colonialism in the region. The interests of these countries are also at odds with each other.
On the other hand… Relations between Palestine and the Arab countries are not so great.
Things became more complicated, especially when Arab countries welcomed a large number of refugees, especially when Israel became an independent country.
Lebanon’s civil war and disputes between Palestinian militants and the Jordanian monarchy continue to plague the region.
The Palestinian issue is also one of the reasons why Arab countries have remained united for many decades.
“Israel can now be seen as a continuation of the colonial powers of the past. Even though european countries have moved out of West Asia… Israel remains an agent who fulfills the aspirations of the United States, Britain and France,” Professor Timur Karmut told the BBC.
He is an assistant professor of public policy at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies.
Analysts say countries such as Egypt, Syria and Jordan have been at war with Israel in the past, protecting the interests of their respective countries as well as the Palestinians.
But all those wars are related to the past. Decades ago, Egypt and Jordan signed peace treaties with Israel. The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have also established diplomatic relations with that country.
Saudi Arabia made strong efforts to establish relations with Israel until before the start of the Hamas-Israel war on October 7.
“From decades to recent conflicts, the Arab countries are trying to protect their own interests. “While the respective countries say they are sympathetic and supportive of the Palestinians, they should be aware that these sentiments are not true in front of their own interests,” Waxman said. He is the director of the Center for Israel Studies at the University of California.
“The Arab people are very much opposed to Israel,” said Ilham Fakhru. He is a researcher from the West Asia and North Africa Program at Chatham House.
“The arab people express their sympathy for the palestinians who are homeless in Gaza. They want their governments to do something in support of the Palestinians.
“People want to sever diplomatic ties with Israel or at least expel diplomats in their countries,” he said.
Imad Harib said the Arab governments had left the Palestinian people for a long time. He is a Washington D.C. Director of Research and Analysis, an Arab Center think tank in
The equations that changed with the ‘Arab Spring’
Things changed with the ‘Arab Spring’ in 2010. But the rebellion has created instability in the region.
Yemen, Syria and Iraq are still struggling with civil war.
Syria and Iraq, which have strong political ideologies, once challenged the US. Now those countries have been completely damaged.
Libya is also not at the level of an impact. The civil war in Sudan and economic instability in Egypt.
“While the Arab people are sympathetic to the Palestinians in this crisis situation, they are in a position to help. Because they themselves are living in a dictatorial regime,” says Taimur.
The countries have imposed restrictions on protests on the roads after the ‘Arab Spring’.
These royal governments once allowed people to express their protests in support of the Palestinians. But right now, they are afraid of where those protests will wrap around their necks.
Millions of people in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Syria, Bahrain, Morocco and other countries have taken to the streets to demand their rights and democratic government rule.
“A massive rebellion like the Arab Spring has completely changed the conditions here. It has changed the priorities of those countries. Many of the old governments have collapsed, while others fear a similar situation may arise for them. “A lot of people are of the opinion that Israel will help protect themselves in the region,” Taimur said.
Shortly after the Arab Spring, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates established diplomatic relations with Israel. The US acted as a mediator.
Morocco, the Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have been pushed into the dock by allegations of spying using the Pegasus programme manufactured by the Israeli-based NSO Group.
According to the New York Times. The program was purchased by Saudi Arabia in 2017. However, access to that software had to be cut off the following year after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Arabia consulate in Istanbul.
But Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and got the software back.
In addition to the national interests, there is another factor that is keeping the Arab countries away from the Palestinian question. It would be.. Islamic extremism is on the rise in those countries.
Concerns over Iran’s role
“Arab countries are suspicious of Hamas and Hezbollah because they have established ties with Iran. This is because Iran poses a greater threat to the Gulf countries than Israel, and it uses these conflicts as a tool to create a religious rift in the region. But the Arab countries believe in the propaganda of the United States and Israel that it is not to do good to The Palestinians,” taimur said.
He added that government-run newspapers are promoting this version across Arabs.
“For example, the Saudi media’s concern is not about Palestine, but about Iran’s dominance in the region,” professor Walid said.
“Right now, Iran is helping Hamas in every possible way. But, in the beginning of the formation of this group, there were good relations with many Arab countries. Right now, Arab countries are refusing to give Hamas weapons to fight Israel,” Taimur said.
The same applies to groups such as Hezbollah, which want to support Palestine in cooperation with Iran.
“The Arab people don’t care much about whether Iran supports them or not. In my opinion some Arab movement organizations are ready to support Palestine. It includes Hezbollah and the Houthis as well as some Shia groups in Yemen and Iraq,” professor Walid said.
Changing young people’s thoughts
Geographical and strategic interests. Leaving aside the crises of the Arab countries, the Palestinian issue is also being forgotten with time.
Ideologies such as Arab nationalism, which once inspired west Asian countries to beat up, have been merged into history.
“Many young people in the region are sympathetic to Palestine. But they don’t know the reasons for this situation. Because they haven’t written about it in their textbooks. With changing globalization, the way we look at society and identities will also change,” Taimur said.
With the arrival of new leaders, these kinds of changes are visible.
“If you look at the Gulf countries, for example, there are a new generation of leaders. Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is educated in the West, doesn’t see Palestine as a problem,” Taimur said.
