Vantage | What Arab world's anti-Israel, pro-Palestine stance is really about

22 countries, over 475 million people, and an area of 13 million square kilometres—it’s what we know as the Arab world. And this Arab world has picked a side in this war. They are all rallying behind Palestine. When Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October, a lot of Arab nations were quick to comment. Some directly condemn Hamas; others just slammed the attack on Israel. They also talked about restraint and support for Palestine. But on Tuesday, the mood shifted, and the positions hardened. A rocket hit Gaza’s Al-Ahli hospital, and hundreds of people were killed. And that seemed to be the “red line” for West Asia. Watch:

Israel says it did not attack the hospital. It is even offering proof—video and audio—to show that this was a Palestinian rocket that misfired. That it was fired by a group called Palestinian Jihad. But it seems none of it matters now. But by the time the Israeli denial came, the Arab world had already made up its mind. All of them blamed Israel for the strikes. Their citizens took to the streets. Their leaders called for accountability. And since then, their stance has only toughened.

Foreign Minister HH Prince @FaisalbinFarhan: We declare our categorical rejection of the repeated assaults and increasing attacks by the Israeli occupation forces despite repeated appeals to immediately stop military operations. pic.twitter.com/WPBSvAFq0U

— Foreign Ministry 🇸🇦 (@KSAmofaEN) October 18, 2023

Three weeks ago, Riyadh and Israel were discussing a peace deal. A deal that would change West Asia, 21 days later, the same Riyadh is condemning Israel—in no uncertain terms—and asking it to stop its assaults and attacks on Gaza. It shows you how fast the dynamics change, and there are a lot of factors at play. The first are the peace deals. Israel and Arab nations may have signed them, but those deals did not bring peace. The region is on the brink of a wider conflict. One that could engulf the whole of West Asia. Israel is currently pounding Gaza. The next thing they want to do is invade the strip, which could make things much worse. If the hospital strike was a red line, a ground invasion would be a point of no return for West Asia, and Iran has made it very clear. They said it was the beginning of the fall of Israel. Ever since the war broke out, Iran has said a lot. They have warned Israel and said they are ready to join the war. Their proxies were up in arms. And now, Iran wants an oil embargo. Iran wants to stop the flow of oil into Israel. But Tehran alone cannot make that decision. That would be the call of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). OPEC is an oil cartel, and so far, it has rejected calls for an oil embargo. But the very talk of it- has spooked markets. You see, West Asia is central to the global oil economy. A third of the world’s oil comes from here. If they impose an oil embargo, oil prices will skyrocket, and that will be disastrous for the global economy. It’s not happening yet. But oil markets are wary because it won’t be unprecedented. Arab states have done it before. In 1973, Arab states launched a war against Israel, then they imposed an oil embargo. As it turned out, they did not win the war. But the fact is, they were united, and 50 years later, the same is happening. The Arab world has been dragged into yet another war. They may still be projecting unity and rallying behind Palestine. But they have many fault lines. And their support for Palestine has its limits. Each Arab state is looking at this conflict nervously. Jordan and Egypt fear an exodus of refugees; Gulf nations fear antagonising Iran; and Saudi Arabia fears Iranian proxies lashing out. They may all pretend that this is about the survival of Palestine, but chances are, it is more about their own survival. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the writer. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost_’s views._  Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.