Bonds Over Blood: How Arab Ambition Betrays Palestine’s Cause

By- Dr. Manasi Sinha,

Asst. Professor, & SDG Coordinator

Dept. of Political Science, Easwari School of Liberal Arts

SRM University, Andhra Pradesh, India and

Mr Aashir- CSE student, SRM University AP 

In a dazzling betrayal, Saudi Arabia and Egypt drape Palestinian dreams in hollow rhetoric while weaving lucrative pacts with Israel. As Gaza crumbles under genocide, their chase for power and profit reveals a stark truth: Arab solidarity has become a mirage, leaving Palestine’s fight for freedom forsaken. 

Introduction:

Riyadh And Cairo — Saudi Arabia and Egypt, once vocal champions of Palestinian statehood, now chase geopolitical wins and economic booms at the expense of a people under siege. As Gaza reels from what experts call a genocide — with over 65,000 dead, nearly 169,000 injured, and 2 million displaced since October 2023 — these Arab heavyweights deepen ties with Israel through secret talks, normalization pacts, and multibillion-dollar deals. Their actions, cloaked in public sympathy, erode Palestinian hopes and shatter regional solidarity, experts say.

Doha Bombed, Words Fly: Arab Outrage Falls Short for Palestine 

There was a lot of outrage in September after Israel’s unprecedented airstrike on Qatar’s capital, Doha, on September 9 — the first direct hit on Gulf soil in the escalating war. Israeli jets bombed a residential neighborhood, killing five low-level Hamas operatives while senior leaders escaped unharmed. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the raid as retaliation for Gaza clashes and a Jerusalem bombing, vowing to hunt militants “wherever they are.” Qatar decried the “criminal” assault as a breach of international law, expelling Israel’s diplomats and freezing mediation efforts on Gaza hostages.

Arab nations rallied in Doha’s emergency summit on September 15, where leaders from 57 Muslim and Arab states thundered condemnations and pledged solidarity with Palestinians and Qatar alike. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman blasted Israel’s “aggression” as a threat to regional stability, while Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi warned of an “extermination campaign” in Gaza. The UAE summoned Israel’s deputy ambassador and booted Israeli firms from Dubai’s air show — modest jabs at best. Yet the summit’s final communique rang hollow: fiery words on cease-fires and aid, but zero sanctions, boycotts, or ultimatums to force Palestinian statehood talks. Analysts call it performative outrage — tough talk that shields leaders from domestic backlash without rattling Israel’s backers in Washington or Tel Aviv. “This doesn’t advance independence; it just buys time for more bombs,” said a Gulf-based diplomat, speaking anonymously.

Gaza Bleeds, Arab Capitals Watch: A Crisis Ignored 

The Gaza crisis spotlights this duplicity. Israeli forces have pounded the strip since Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attacks, killing at least 67,173 Palestinians and wounding 169,780 others. Attacks on health centers top 550, leaving just 36 hospitals limping along. UN Special Rapporteur Tlaleng Mofokeng brands Gaza a “wasteland of rubble and human remains.” The International Court of Justice ruled Israel’s occupation unlawful in July 2024, a finding echoed in 2025 as violations mount.Israeli leaders, including Netanyahu, openly vow to “destroy Gaza,” targeting civilians in what the UN calls “collective punishment.” Starvation ravages kids, with malnutrition rampant. UN Coordinator Joyce Msuya dubs it a “method of war.” By this very month, October 2025, Israel plans to displace 800,000 from Gaza City, risking “another horrific chapter,” the UN Security Council warns. Yet Saudi Arabia and Egypt offer little beyond words — no pushback on resettlement schemes floating Palestinians to places like South Sudan, no leverage from their Israel links to demand accountability. The Doha fallout only amplifies the gap: Arab fury fizzles into forums that prioritize Gulf egos over Gaza’s graves.

Gaza’s Cost: Arab Nations Cash In While Palestinians Pay 

Trade and security pacts drive this betrayal, weaving economic webs that mute criticism. Egypt’s $35 billion Leviathan natural gas deal, signed in 2025 with Israel’s NewMed Energy, U.S.-based Chevron, and Egypt’s state gas firm, locks in 130 billion cubic meters of Israeli gas over 15 years starting 2026. This boosts Egypt’s energy hub status, slashing import costs, but ties Cairo’s hands amid Gaza’s horrors. Bilateral trade exploded 56% in 2023 and 168% in Q4 that year, with Egypt exporting $284 million to Israel in 2024 in the form of cement, fertilizers, and food leading the charge.

Riyadh’s New Ally: Pakistan Pact Deepens Palestine’s Plight 

Saudi Arabia seals its own mega-deals, now extending beyond the U.S. to nuclear-armed Pakistan. Just days after the Doha summit, Riyadh and Islamabad inked a Strategic Mutual Defense Pact on September 17 — the kingdom’s boldest pivot yet from American shields. Signed by bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the agreement treats attacks on one as war on both, expanding joint military drills, intelligence sharing, and deterrence against “aggression” — code for Iran, experts say. It builds on a $3 billion Saudi loan lifeline to Pakistan’s coffers, extended last December.

For Palestine, the pact spells trouble. It signals Riyadh’s diversification from the U.S.-Israel axis, cozying up to a non-Arab power without a whisper for Palestinian leverage. Speculation swirls over nuclear ties — could Saudi tap Pakistan’s arsenal for a “Muslim bomb” umbrella? Both deny it, but the deal rattles India and fuels proliferation fears, drawing Riyadh deeper into South Asian chess while Gaza starves. “This locks Saudi into anti-Iran fortresses, sidelining statehood as a bargaining chip for normalization,” warns a Washington Institute analyst. The $600 billion U.S. pact from May 2025 — packing $142 billion in arms and Boeing jets — already fortified this trend; the Pakistan tie cements it, dooming Palestinian dreams to footnotes in Gulf power plays.

Accords Over Aspirations: How Arab-Israeli Ties Bury Palestine 

The 2020 Abraham Accords have turbocharged this trend, normalising relations between Israel and the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, Morocco, and Kosovo. Trade among them ballooned from $593 million in 2019 to $3.47 billion in 2022, with UAE-Israel deals alone topping $6.44 billion from 2021 to 2024. Nearly 471,000 Israeli tourists pumped $325 million into the UAE in 2022. Saudi Arabia’s quiet nod, via forums like the 2022 Negev Forum, signals broader buy-in for peace that skips Palestinian statehood.

UN Stalled, Gaza Starves: Global Powers Fail Palestine 

The United Nations amplifies Palestinian voices but falters on action. In June 2024, Security Council Resolution 2735 backed a U.S. three-phase cease-fire: a six-week pause with hostage swaps and 600 daily aid trucks; permanent peace with full Israeli pullout; and Gaza rebuild. It passed 14-0 with Russia abstaining, slamming no Hamas rebuke. But U.S. vetoes, like one in November 2024 blocking immediate aid, stall progress. A 2024 General Assembly resolution, citing the ICJ, demanded Israel quit occupied lands by September 2025 — nonbinding and ignored.

UN chief António Guterres blasts both sides: Hamas’ attacks and Israel’s “unprecedented” destruction. In 2025, coordinators like Sigrid Kaag decry aid militarization, West Bank killings (over 700 Palestinians dead since October 2023), and UNRWA bans since March. Outgoing envoy Tor Wennesland laments 44,000 Palestinian and 1,700 Israeli deaths. Geopolitical rifts hobble the UN, letting Saudi Arabia and Egypt cozy up to Israel unchecked.

From Nasser to Now: How Arab Unity for Palestine Faded 

Historically, these nations stood firm. Egypt’s Gamal Abdel Nasser fueled Arab nationalism in the mid-1900s, backing Palestinians. But the 1979 Camp David Accords flipped the script: Egypt recognized Israel first, reclaiming Sinai in exchange for peace. Palestinians got autonomy promises — a five-year transition, self-rule, Israeli withdrawal — but nothing materialized, sparking the 1987 Intifada. Egypt faced Arab League boot and President Anwar Sadat’s 1981 assassination.

Saudi Arabia floated the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, tying normalization to a Palestinian state. Yet secret Israel talks, fueled by anti-Iran fears, prevail. As U.S. clout wanes, per Brookings Institution, pragmatism trumps ideology — domestic stability and power first, Palestinians last.

In the end, Saudi Arabia and Egypt’s choices — from tepid Doha diplomacy to Pakistan pacts — unmask a stark trade-off: power and profit over principle. Their deals entrench Israel’s grip, dimming two-state dreams as Gaza bleeds. Once a rally cry, the Palestinian cause now echoes hollow in Arab capitals, demanding a reckoning for true solidarity.