Gulf States

U.S. President Donald Trump and the late Emir Sabah al-Ahmed al-Jaber al-Sabah of Kuwait, September 7, 2017 (Official White House Photo/Stephanie K. Chasez)

Expanding the Abraham Accords is a pipe dream. Except, maybe, in Kuwait

Stripped of its institutional buffers, reorienting toward the UAE, and repeatedly targeted by Iran, Kuwait could be next to join the framework.

By Mira Al Hussein June 3, 2026

U.S. President Donald Trump poses with leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council, at the Ritz Carlton Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, May 14, 2025. (Official White House Photo/Daniel Torok)

Why the Iran war has caught Gulf states in a bind

Facing the consequences of U.S. military dependence, the GCC is still reluctant to criticize Washington — but public anger will not be easily contained.

By Hind Al Ansari March 12, 2026

Smoke rises from oil tanks beside the Suez Canal hit during the initial Anglo-French assault on Port Said, Nov. 5, 1956. (Fleet Air Arm official photographer/Imperial War Museums)

Israel’s last war alongside an imperial power backfired. This one could, too

For the first time since 1956, Israel is fighting with a Western hegemon for regime change in a war whose political repercussions are far from certain.

By Meron Rapoport March 5, 2026

Latest

A billboard reads "A time for war, a time for settlement. Now is the time for the "Abrahamic Covenant," with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed standing next to U.S President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in Tel Aviv, June 27, 2025. (Yehoshua Yosef/Flash90)

In widening Saudi-UAE rift, Israel is at the heart of a narrative war

Saudi accusations that Abu Dhabi acts as Israel’s proxy have ignited a media firestorm. But similar anti-Israel sentiments circulate within the UAE itself.

By Mira Al Hussein February 19, 2026

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar meets Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi in Hargeisa, January 6, 2026. (Somaliland Presidency/X)

Israel’s Somaliland gambit reflects a doctrine of endless escalation

By projecting power into the Horn of Africa, Israel aims to increase pressure on rivals, undermine regional stability, and narrow the space for diplomacy.

By Omar H. Rahman January 13, 2026

President Donald Trump participates in a bilateral meeting with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan at Qasr Al Watan in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, May 15, 2025. (Daniel Torok/Official White House Photo)

What the UAE hopes to gain from Israel’s growing isolation

Abu Dhabi seeks to present itself to the West as a stable alternative to an increasingly rogue Israel, where defense cooperation and capital can flourish.

By Mira Al Hussein June 25, 2025

Palestinian protesters burn a photo of Bahrain's ruler Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, June 25, 2019. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)

Amid normalization with Israel, what remains of Gulf-Palestine relations?

Gulf states have a complex history of engagement with the Palestinian cause. Now, regional shifts are forcing them to reassess their role.

By Katie Wachsberger February 1, 2022

A man waves a United Arab Emirates flag outside the Israeli Prime Minister's official residence in Jerusalem, August 19, 2020. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Palestinians are a side note in the UAE-Israel political charade

With Arab regimes seeing Israel as an ally in their power struggles, Palestinians should counter normalization by finally cutting the cord on the Oslo process.

By Dana El Kurd August 27, 2020

A man takes a selfie in front of the Tel Aviv Municipality on Rabin Square, which was lit up with the flag of United Arab Emirates after U.S. President Donald Trump announced the normalization of relations between Israel and the UAE, on August 13, 2020. (Oren Ziv)

Bibi’s digital warriors take on Arabia: How Israel won over the Gulf states

Israel has been using a web of social media accounts to produce a more favorable image among Arabs in the Gulf. With the UAE agreement, it seems these efforts are bearing fruit.

By Katie Wachsberger August 14, 2020

A file photo of Alan Dershowitz. (Yossi Zeliger/Flash90)

Why Israel is so worried about Qatari outreach to American Jews

Qatar has been focusing on prominent American Jewish leaders as the isolated Gulf state seeks to repair its image. Why American Jews? It’s about Saudi Arabia. By Mitchell Plitnick On January 31, the Israeli embassy in the United States stated that Israel did not approve of several right wing, pro-Israel American Jewish leaders meeting with…

By +972 Magazine February 16, 2018

U.S. President Donald Trump meets with the Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Saudi Arabia, Sunday, May 21, 2017. (White House photo)

What’s the story with the siege on Doha?

It is very difficult to accept at face value this newfound determination to defeat terrorism by the Gulf states by humiliating a smaller neighbor whose differences consist primarily of alternative choices of distasteful proxies. By Gary Sick There are several things that I find confounding about the current conflict within the GCC: First, as a…

By +972 Magazine June 20, 2017

Prime Minister Netanyahu meets with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry in Jerusalem, July 10, 2016. (Hadas Parush/Flash90)

Why Egypt’s FM came to Israel, and why you shouldn’t get too excited

Recent interest — by all sides — in reviving the Arab Peace Initiative presents a new window of opportunity. But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves as long as Benjamin Netanyahu is in charge. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry came to Israel on Sunday to meet with Benjamin Netanyahu about the Palestinian peace…

By Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man July 10, 2016

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan speaks in Istanbul, September 20, 2015. (Photo by Orlok / Shutterstock.com)

Netanyahu and Erdogan need each other more than ever

It’s no coincidence that a deal to normalize relations between Turkey and Israel was announced on the same day that Netanyahu pushed a natural gas deal through the Knesset. As usual, the Palestinians are the biggest losers — oh yeah, and the Greeks. Two years ago, when a major-but-ultimately-premature breakthrough in the frozen relations between…

By Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man December 18, 2015