Saudi Arabia

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

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

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, September 18, 2019. (U.S. Department of State)

How Gaza’s horrors turned Israeli normalization into a Saudi domestic crisis

Before Oct. 7, the kingdom was meticulously reshaping public opinion to support a peace deal. Gaza upended this strategy — forcing MbS to recalibrate.

By Hind Al Ansari April 24, 2025

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A large billboard posted by the Ayalon highway in Tel Aviv, in support of U.S. President Donald Trump, Feb. 5, 2025. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)

The damage of Trump’s Gaza plan has already been done

The proposal to cleanse Gaza of Palestinians tapped into a deep undercurrent in Israeli society — endangering any chance for a peaceful future in the region.

By Meron Rapoport February 7, 2025

U.S. President Joe Biden visits the Israeli President's Residence in Jerusalem, July 14, 2022. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Biden’s message to Bibi: Normalization is more important than democracy

At a meeting on the UN sidelines, many anticipated Biden would pressure Netanyahu to halt his anti-democratic agenda. But the U.S. has other priorities.

By Naim Mousa September 27, 2023

Defense Secretary James N. Mattis meets with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz at the Pentagon in Washington D.C., Mar. 22, 2018. (Kathryn E. Holm / U.S. Secretary of Defense / CC BY 2.0)

Why Saudi-Israel ‘peace’ will cement a violent future

Far from resolving conflicts, Saudi-Israel normalization will serve as a pillar of a repressive architecture that brings no justice for Palestinians or Arab peoples.

By Dana El Kurd August 8, 2023

Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia inspects Guard of Honour during Ceremonial Reception at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi, February 20, 2019. (MEAphotogallery / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

What will Saudi-Iran rapprochement mean for the Palestinians?

An accord between Riyadh and Tehran could stymie regional polarization and normalization with Israel. Will Palestinian leaders take advantage of it?

By Omar H. Rahman May 24, 2023

U.S. President Joe Biden boarding Air Force One after a farewell ceremony in his honor at Ben Gurion Airport, July 15, 2022. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

To replace US hegemony, Biden blesses a marriage of apartheid and autocracy

Israeli-Saudi normalization is at the crux of a new regional order, speaking the language of ‘peace’ at the price of people like Khashoggi and Abu Akleh.

By Iyad el-Baghdadi July 20, 2022

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 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

The Israel-U.S.-Saudi alliance will likely end in disaster

By supporting the Saudi kingdom with military aid and intelligence cooperation, while ignoring the regime’s human rights abuses and support for terror organizations, Israel and the U.S. risk repeating the Cold War era’s worst mistakes. By Eitay Mack (translated by Ofer Neiman and Tal Haran) Israel and Saudi Arabia have been close partners with the American…

By +972 Magazine December 24, 2017

Palestinian youth hold a Palestinian flag outside the Aqsa Mosque in the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount compound, East Jerusalem. (Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

Why Trump won’t move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem

The city is a tinderbox, and no one wants to set off a fatal spark. A prominent Israeli journalist tweeted on Wednesday that Netanyahu’s government expects the United States to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital “perhaps as early as Sunday.” Dana Weiss, the chief political analyst for Channel 2 News and the anchor of her own…

By Lisa Goldman November 30, 2017

A Saudi woman driving (Screenshot from Change.org)

A big step forward, and another step back in Saudi Arabia

The public role of women in Saudi life has expanded rapidly over the past decade, accented last month by lifting a ban on women driving. But as the Kingdom moves forward on some rights, it is regressing with regards to others — particularly, cracking down on political dissidents. By Thomas W. Lippman So, with its decision to…

By +972 Magazine October 2, 2017