'Middle Eastern powers seem trapped by their dependence on the US and its ties with Israel'

H

as nothing changed in the Middle East? Truly nothing? Even as the international order collapses – undermined by revisionist powers like China and Russia, and at times by the United States itself – the main Middle Eastern powers remain trapped by their dependence on Washington, illustrated by a string of military bases and America's unbreakable ties with Israel, regardless of its actions.

The Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation held an emergency meeting in Doha on Monday, September 15, after an Israeli airstrike targeted Hamas negotiators hosted by Qatar. Member states were urged to review their diplomatic and economic relations with Israel and to initiate legal action against it. The outcome of this review remains eagerly awaited.

This call was addressed to the countries that have signed peace treaties with Israel – namely Egypt and Jordan – which have been spared from the sweeping cuts to international aid programs imposed by Donald Trump's administration. It also concerned regimes that normalized relations with Israel in 2020 under the Abraham Accords: the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan, which has been ravaged by a new civil war.

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