Arabs distance themselves from Israel
Hassan Hanizadeh
Regional affairs expert
Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan’s visit to Syria and his meeting with President Bashar al-Assad were among the positive outcomes of the recent deal between Tehran and Riyadh in Beijing. The agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia has changed the attitude of Arab states toward regional issues and developments. One of the achievements of the agreement is the resumption of political relations between Saudi Arabia and Syria after 12 years.
The normalization of Riyadh-Damascus relations, as well as the Saudi King’s invitation to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to participate in the upcoming meeting among Arab leaders in Riyadh, indicate that both Saudi Arabia and some other Arab states have undertaken a reassessment on their positions against the resistance front oriented on Iran and Syria. The Hamas high-ranking delegation’s historic visit to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday is also a sign of the change in attitudes.
In the past, Riyadh has suffered a lot of damage due to its aggressive positions and behavior against Iran and the axis of resistance, a clear example of which was getting involved in the costly war in Yemen, which has created political, military, and economic challenges for the kingdom.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman needs to create a safe margin for his government to implement his ambitious plans, which are to modernize Saudi Arabia; therefore, he prefers improving relations with Iran and resistance groups to confronting them.
Unlike Israel, which has been facing a lot of security and military challenges, the resistance front, comprising the countries and groups supporting the freedom of Palestine and opposing Israel, has reached a stable stage.
Farhan’s visit to Syria and his meeting with the Syrian president could pave the way for Assad’s participation in the meeting of the heads of Arab countries, which is itself a prelude to Syria’s return to the Arab League.
These visits and meetings can be interpreted in such a way that, from the point of view of the Arab countries, Syria can still play a strategic role in confronting Israel, as in the past, because the situation in Israel and the chaos of Netanyahu’s hardline government have caused Arab countries to hesitate in promoting the normalization of ties with Tel Aviv.
In fact, Arab countries are revising their policies towards Israel and distancing themselves from it. The series of recent developments such as the agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran, peace in Yemen, reestablishing relations between Syria and Saudi Arabia, and the trip of the Hamas delegation to Saudi Arabia are signs that Arab countries are reconsidering their positions towards Israel and the axis of resistance.
Syria’s return to the Arab League is an auspicious event.