For decades, Arab countries have fought wars alongside the Palestinians against Israel. However, in the recent Israeli-Hamas conflict, which is considered the deadliest for both Israelis and Palestinians, Arab leaders have not provided military support.
When I watch an Arabic-speaking news channel about the conflict in Gaza, I often see Palestinians crying a lament against Arabs. They ask “Where are you?” and “Aren’t you going to do something to stop our suffering?” The answer?
I’ve concluded that many Arabs are tired of fighting wars with Israel on behalf of the Palestinians.
Today’s silence of Arab leaders contrasts sharply with the historical stance taken by leaders like former Egyptian President Jamal Abdel Nasser, considered the godfather of Arab Nationalism. Nasser succeeded in framing the struggle against Israel as a central unifying cause for all Arabs. This led different Arab states to fight numerous wars with Israel from 1948 to 1973. But the humiliating defeats suffered made many Arabs realize that the more they fought Israel, the more land they lost.
It was then that Anwar El Sadat, the president of Egypt, made a dramatic change. He chose the pathway to peace in the volatile Middle East. Addressing the Israeli Knesset in 1977, Sadat argued that it was necessary to coexist with Israel, recover the Sinai Peninsula, and ensure peace in the region. He understood that dragging his country and his people into wars with Israel was bringing misery to Egypt. Sadat’s move, which most Arab leaders opposed and saw as humiliating, is now seen as necessary not only for peace but also for mutual economic and regional interests.
Jordan was the second country to follow in Egypt’s footsteps. In 1994, Jordan signed a peace treaty with Israel, providing Jordan with gas and water through a multibillion-dollar deal. More Arab nations joined in peace agreements with Israel; the latest was the Abraham Accords in 2020. These accords benefited the United Arab Emirates by securing billions in bilateral trade, a boost to its tourism sector, and strategic air defense systems. The Abraham Accords also included a free trade agreement between Israel and Bahrain, which benefited the latter by more than $3.5 billion in 2020 alone.
Morocco has established full diplomatic ties and resumed official interactions with Israel, allowing overflights and direct flights to and from Israel for all Israelis. This also includes economic collaboration between Israeli and Moroccan companies. Like other Arab countries, Saudi Arabia is also showing an interest in normalizing relationships with Israel with an assertion that any normalization between the two countries would require the establishment of a Palestinian state, a proposal that Israel’s far-right-influenced government has dismissed.
Israel benefits from normalization by breaking its regional isolation, forming alliances against common threats like Iran, and experiencing economic advantages through regional integration.
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But recent history and continuing political trends show that the Palestinian issue has become a heavy burden that Arab leaders are weary of carrying. What began as an Arab-Israeli conflict has morphed into a distinctly Palestinian-Israeli one.
If there’s one lesson Iran should take from the Arab experience, it’s that Israel is here to stay.
Zineb Williams is a freelance journalist specializing in foreign affairs, based in Washington, D.C. Her work has been published in the Daily Caller News Foundation.