Qatar’s Prime Minister, speaking at the Munich Security Conference,
called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, emphasising the humanitarian
crisis in Rafah [photo credit: Qatar MoFA]
The IDF’s destruction of Gaza’s hospitals, schools and residential
areas is nearly complete, the collective punishment of civilians in the
Strip remains blatantly on display and Netanyahu continues to deride and
dismiss Qatar’s notable efforts to dialogue a pathway to either a
temporary or a lasting ceasefire. In the West Bank and East Jerusalem
attacks on Palestinians have escalated dramatically since the beginning
of the war, with the IDF and settler vigilantes armed by the National
Security Minister killing more than 300 Palestinians. Thousands have
been jailed, homes destroyed and communities forcibly removed. Still the
Qataris continue their efforts, presiding over talks in Paris and Cairo
while steadfastly calling for an end to the fighting.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference
over the week-end the Qatari PM and foreign minister Mohammed bin
Abdulrahman Al-Thani noted the difficulties the ongoing talks are facing
while diplomatically not pointing a finger directly at Netanyahu. He
did however address the hypocrisy: “We are at a crossroads now and it is
very critical that we stand for a rule-based international order, that
everyone is talking about here in Munich and at other events, and we
don’t differentiate depending on who are the people who commit these
acts or who are being the victims of these acts.”
Contrast that with the actions of the UAE who have chosen to maintain
the diplomatic ties with Israel that came about as a result of the
Abraham Accords. While the Emiratis have called for a ceasefire they
have done so in muted language preferring to aim most of their disquiet
and frustration at the Biden administration’s handling of the war rather
than risk
their security and economic ties with the Israelis. Similarly the
Bahrainis have followed in the footsteps of the UAE, retaining their
ambassador’s presence in Tel Aviv whilst policing the internet and preventing protests in support of Palestine.
Jordan did recall its ambassador in November but Egypt though it reportedly
weighed up such a move in January has not done so nor, at least
publicly, threatened to. Given the country’s dire economic situation and
the necessity to do business with Israel particularly as regards East
Med gas, President Sisi - while standing firm on not allowing the
Israelis to relocate the Gaza population to North Sinai - is anxious to
avoid alienating Netanyahu.
Not so President Erdoğan of Türkiye. On 20 September he had shaken
hands with the Israeli PM at the UN in New York with the two speaking
about cooperation on “energy, technology, innovation, artificial intelligence as well as cyber security.” Barely a month later Erdogan described
Hamas as “a liberation group, 'mujahideen' waging a battle to protect
its lands and people." In November the Turkish ambassador was recalled
with Erdoğan stating that Netanyahu was “no longer a man we can talk
to.” By the end of the month the Turkish president declared his Israeli
counterpart “the butcher of Gaza.”
For their part, the Saudis have reiterated
their call for ceasefire and a pathway to a two-state solution but have
done little else on the diplomatic front, while privately remaining
keen to normalise with Israel once the fighting has ended (see our 9 February newsletter.)
The only robust military response has come from Hezbollah and the
Huthis with the latter continuing to target shipping heading to Israel
as well as vessels belonging to the US and the UK, most recently on
Tuesday when a UK-registered cargo ship was hit in the Bab al-Mandab. That came despite the American and British airstrikes that were supposed to halt the Huthi attacks.
That non-state actors are taking military action in support of the
Palestinian cause underscores the broader failure of Arab states, with
the notable exception of Qatar, to bring meaningful diplomatic and
economic pressure to bear on Israel to end the conflict.
The winner, if there can be any winner in such an appalling war,
remains Iran who back Hamas, Hezbollah and the Huthis and who seek to
further destabilise the region in pursuit of their strategic agenda to
become the dominant regional power.
With their economic clout and a growing global diplomatic presence
Saudi Arabia and the UAE could be leaders in challenging Netanyahu and
securing a just resolution for Palestine and the Palestinians. Such a
resolution would deliver a rebuff to Iran and give those states what
they most desire: a region that is secure and stable. And it would
answer the question posed in Munich by the Qatari prime minister: “How
will we face our citizens when we show them we couldn’t help the
defenceless Palestinians in Gaza?”