[중동전쟁]

Middle Eastern countries keep their distance from this for the time being
Egypt-Turkiye and others intervened

As the war in the Middle East, which began with a surprise attack on Israel by the Palestinian armed group Hamas, intensifies, Middle Eastern Arab countries are expressing support for Palestine, who are called ‘Islamic brothers’. Arab countries that maintained close relations with Israel are also expected to distance themselves for the time being.

According to the British Financial Times (FT) on the 10th (local time), Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (pictured), the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia, said in a phone call with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, “We are working to prevent the war from expanding.” “We support the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to a decent life, their hopes and aspirations, and their right to achieve a just and lasting peace,” he said.

Saudi Arabia, a Sunni Muslim leader competing with Iran, a Shia leader, for hegemony in the Middle East, was seeking to normalize relations with Israel through U.S. mediation. Perhaps because of concerns about worsening relations with Israel, they remained silent for two days after the surprise attack by Hamas on the 7th, but then made it clear that they supported Palestine.

Saudi Arabia and neighboring countries such as Egypt and Jordan, which are traditionally friendly to Palestine, are trying to mediate between Israel and Palestine, claiming the release of civilian hostages and regional peace. Qatar claimed, “Israel is responsible for this conflict,” adding, “It is due to Israel’s attack on the (Islamic) holy site of Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and oppression of Palestinians.”

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who has always expressed support for Palestine, contacted both Israelis and Palestinians the day before and said, “We demand that Israel stop bombing Palestinian territories and that Palestinians stop attacking Israeli settlements.” He offered to mediate an end to the conflict if either side requested it.

However, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which maintained a special relationship with Israel, strongly criticized Hamas’ attack from the first day, calling it a “serious provocation.”

Israel has recently made efforts to restore relations with several Arab countries in the Middle East, but it is expected to be on the defensive again as the number of Palestinian civilian casualties increases due to retaliatory airstrikes against Hamas. Foreign media also analyzed that the Arab countries in the Middle East’s ‘distancing from Israel’ is a reflection of Iran’s strategy of isolating Israel, which is suspected of having approved the Hamas attack.

Cairo =

Source: Donga