Arab countries are gathering in Bahrain this week for the Arab League summit. The Arab League has 22 members, and this is an important meeting for the group of countries. They will focus on the Gaza conflict and other developments in the region.
This follows a meeting in The Gambia of Muslim countries where Israel was condemned for “genocide.” In addition, it follows Iranian outreach to Egypt and other diplomatic moves in the region.
The Syrian regime is expecting positive developments at the meeting in Bahrain. According to Al-Ain news in the UAE, a Syrian regime official discussed its plans for the summit. “He stressed the need for the Arab Summit to send a strong and clear message to the American administration demanding the necessity and inevitability of working to stop the war on Gaza, especially since the Israeli occupation now controls the Rafah crossing from the Palestinian side, and thus this threatens more murders and genocide and preventing the flow of aid to the people of Gaza."
The meeting represents major shifts in the region. Three years ago, Israel, Bahrain, and the UAE had signed on to the Abraham Accords, and there was a new hope for peace in the region. However, the October 7 attack has changed all of this. Now, Israel is isolated, and there is a lot of concern about the US role in the region. Meanwhile, Russia and China are on the march.
Israel's diplomatic challenges
China’s leader was just in Europe, and Russia’s leader is now in China. The region is hedging bets between the west and east. Israel is losing out in this scenario as countries grow closer to Iran. Iran backs Hamas. Turkey also backs Hamas, as does Qatar.
This means that Israel is losing out because key countries in the region are outraged about the ongoing war in Gaza. Countries that might have backed Israel are also concerned that Israel can’t seem to defeat Hamas or deter Hezbollah. As they watch the Iranian axis on the march, they wonder if Israel can be a partner for stability or if Iran will soon control more of the region.
The Arab League wants to work to end the war in Gaza. They want more regional integration of Arab countries after years of conflict in places like Syria and Iraq. They also want to discuss the civil war in Sudan and potentially discuss Yemen and Libya. There are many developments in the region. It will be an important meeting and could have negative ramifications for Israel. This is because Jordan and Egypt have been harshly critical of Israel, as has Saudi Arabia. However, Jordan is also concerned about Iranian threats and threats from Syria.
Not everything is as it seems; there are still disputes within the region that go beyond Gaza.