President Bush tore up the Oslo Peace Accords—under which both parties to the conflict had recognized each other’s existence—due to opposition from Israel’s ideologically radical government; similarly, President Trump tore up the nuclear deal between global powers and Iran, and Israel attacked Iran. The United States had sidelined Arab allies

President Bush tore up the Oslo Peace Accords—under which both parties to the conflict had recognized each other’s existence—due to opposition from Israel’s ideologically radical government; similarly, President Trump tore up the nuclear deal between global powers and Iran, and Israel attacked Iran. The United States had sidelined Arab allies

Mujeeb Khan

 

 

Where was Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman taking Saudi Arabia, and where has he led it? Do the two wars Saudi Arabia fought against Yemen serve as proof of the Crown Prince’s failure as a leader? The Crown Prince’s plan to transform Saudi Arabia into a modern, developed state by 2030 has been buried under the Middle East's conflicts. Saudi Arabia has sought a $73 billion loan from the World Bank, and the government has decided to sell shares in Saudi Aramco. Instead of performing a “sword dance” with the US President, the wealthy Arab nations and rulers of the Middle East should have focused on—and prioritized peace and stability within their own region. Astonishingly, Gulf Arab rulers did nothing to halt Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ought to have imposed an oil embargo on Western nations and Israel; aggression—which was backed by the US—the Gulf rulers demonstrated their own weakness.

The Crown Prince was effectively drilling a hole in the very Middle Eastern “ship” that Saudi Arabia was sailing on. Saudi Arabia had pinned its survival and security on the US power from across the oceans—but now that ship is sinking. The Saudi Crown Prince is scrambling, turning to Egypt, Türkiye, and Pakistan. He is purchasing billions of dollars’ worth of weaponry from the US, yet Saudi security is becoming increasingly imperiled. Arab rulers are fools; they still fail to grasp whose policies are driving events in their region. For seventy years, Israel’s policy in the Middle East has effectively been America’s policy. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger was a Jew, and he masterminded a “war and peace” approach in the region. The most U.S. special envoys to the Middle East were also pro-Israel Jews who continued Kissinger’s diplomatic strategy. The United States consistently vetoed UN Security Council resolutions aimed at establishing lasting peace in the Middle East, thereby emboldening Israeli aggression that undermined peace efforts; over the course of seven decades, the U.S. has vetoed some 5,000 such resolutions. The Biden administration vetoed a Security Council resolution condemning the Israeli government’s genocide against the Palestinians. Arab rulers must understand that Israel is such a staunch U.S. ally that America will defend it regardless of the crimes it commits globally. Arab leaders need to stand on their own two feet and handle their own defense—much like Iran, which confidently manages its own security as a religious duty, or the Taliban, who effectively kept NATO nations dangling in a noose for twenty years.

The Arabs helped the US win the Cold War by expending their petrodollars and sacrificing the blood of their children; yet they found no peace. The US and Israel toppled and killed Saddam Hussein in Iraq. Yet the Arabs found no peace. They ousted and assassinated Muammar Gaddafi and fragmented Libya, yet the Arabs found no peace. They reduced the Syrian state to ruins, yet the Arabs found no peace. They destroyed democracy in Egypt, yet Arabs found no peace. Israel killed Chairman Yasser Arafat, yet the Arabs found no peace. Israel killed 80,000 Palestinians in Gaza, yet the Arabs found no peace. Israel assassinated the leaders of Hezbollah and Hamas, yet the Arabs found no peace. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE placed orders for 100, 60, and 60 aircraft respectively—orders that would have provided jobs for 40,000 Americans—but the US destroyed the economy and progress of these nations.

The Arabs must now break free from such an ally and close their doors to Israel. The Arab lands constitute their own region; they must shoulder the responsibilities of their region themselves. Decisions within the region should be “Made in the Arab World.” The very survival of Arab monarchs depends on this; otherwise, the Arab people will demand the establishment of monarchies modeled after those in Britain, Norway, or Japan, and the Arab region will become a democratic republic.