- Israel says killed 15 Hezbollah militants in Lebanon strike
- Phasing out teen smoking could save 1.2 mn lives: study
- 'Kill him first': Israel eyes top level targets
- Championship leader Martin warns of 'unpredictable' Japan MotoGP
- France must fully probe Azerbaijani dissident's killing: Amnesty
- 'Welcome relief': Asia producers hail EU deforestation law delay
- Japan PM slated to announce plans for 'happiness index'
- Turkish inflation falls less than expected in September at 49.4%
- Easing inflation lifts profit at UK supermarket Tesco
- Skiing calls on UN climate science to combat melting future
- China wine industry looks to breed climate resilience
- Gaza war fuels Arab support for Palestinians, to little effect
- Dutch airline KLM unveils 'firm' cost-cutting measures
- Sri Lanka spinner Jayawickrama banned from cricket for corruption
- EU top team knuckle down for 'scary' confirmation hearings
- Gruelling schedule highlighted as Alcaraz runs from stadium to airport
- 'People will come back': Kazakhstan debates nuclear future
- 'They even murder children': Burkinabes caught in conflict crossfire
- Carpe diem: the Costa Rican women turning fish into fashion
- Senegal looks to aquaculture as fish stocks dwindle
- Deadly strike on central Beirut after Israel, Iran trade threats
- Will AI one day win a Nobel Prize?
- Conte plays down Napoli's title chances
- Tolstoy's descendants in family saga over Russian peace prize
- Climate change, economics muddy West's drive to curb Chinese EVs
- Tigers, Royals, Padres advance in MLB playoffs, Brewers stay alive
- Singapore ex-minister sentenced to 12 months in prison in rare graft trial
- Baseball 'superhuman' Ohtani finds new ways to amaze among greats
- TotalEnergies plans to grow oil and gas production until 2030
- 2024 Nobels offer glimmer of hope as global crises mount
- Tokyo rallies on weak yen, Hong Kong reverses after surge
- Australia's world No.7 Green wants women to play Presidents Cup
- Mexico leader worried about drinking water after Hurricane John
- Tunisia readies for vote as incumbent Saied eyes victory
- Messi scores two as Miami clinch MLS Supporters' Shield
- US election like no other enters nail-biting final month
- Morocco mobile desalination units quench remote areas' thirst
- US election: five key moments in an extraordinary campaign
- High childcare costs in US weigh on women's employment
- US voters seek help with crushing childcare costs
- Taiwan shuts down for second day as Typhoon Krathon to land
- Chappell Roan drama sees US singer's fandom get political -- and pushy
- Supercharged storms: how climate change amplifies cyclones
- Huge protests in Argentina over public university cuts
- Deadly Israeli strike on central Beirut after soldiers killed
- Trump 'resorted to crimes' to overturn 2020 election: special counsel
- Tigers and Royals complete sweeps to advance in MLB playoffs
- Australia's most capped footballer Polkinghorne to retire
- Emery masterminds 'statement' Champions League win for Aston Villa
- Ancelotti holds hands up as Real Madrid's long unbeaten run ends
BCC | -1.33% | 139.53 | $ | |
SCS | -2.56% | 12.87 | $ | |
JRI | -1.12% | 13.38 | $ | |
NGG | -1.85% | 68.78 | $ | |
RIO | -0.48% | 70.82 | $ | |
GSK | -2.15% | 39.45 | $ | |
BCE | -1.13% | 34.44 | $ | |
CMSC | 0.04% | 24.78 | $ | |
AZN | 1.14% | 79.58 | $ | |
CMSD | -0.04% | 24.93 | $ | |
RBGPF | 100% | 59.99 | $ | |
RYCEF | 0.14% | 6.91 | $ | |
BTI | -1.33% | 35.97 | $ | |
BP | 0.86% | 32.37 | $ | |
VOD | -2.16% | 9.74 | $ | |
RELX | -0.11% | 47.29 | $ |
Gaza war fuels Arab support for Palestinians, to little effect
A year into the Gaza war, grassroots support for Palestinians has surged across the Arab world, but the groundswell has yet to trigger stronger action against Israel, with governments largely ignoring these calls.
As the conflict spills into Lebanon and Iran's missile strike on Israel raises fears of further escalation, Arab governments are walking a careful line.
While they routinely condemn Israel's invasion -- triggered by Hamas's unprecedented October 7 attack -- nations with diplomatic ties to Israel have yet to make major policy changes.
"Our government, just like other Arab governments, has ignored the demands of its people, including the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador," said Ahmed, a 27-year-old Bahraini at a September rally in Manama. He asked to be identified by his first name for fear of reprisal.
Bahrain, along with Morocco, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates, recognised Israel under the US-brokered Abraham Accords of 2020, seeking diplomatic and military support.
Egypt and Jordan, which signed the peace deals with Israel in 1979 and 1994 respectively, have not reconsidered those agreements, despite accusing Israel of war crimes in Gaza.
Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said the agreement was "covered with dust", but questioned whether scrapping it would help the kingdom or Palestinians.
Only Saudi Arabia has publicly shifted, halting normalisation talks with Israel unless a Palestinian state is recognised.
- Protest dilemma -
Israel's Gaza offensive has sparked rare protests in a region where autocratic governments usually suppress dissent.
"Normalisation is treason," read a sign at a rally in Amman, echoing slogans in Bahrain and Morocco.
Rachid Fellouli, of Morocco's National Action Group for Palestine, said 5,000 sit-ins were held in the past year. He finds hope in the pro-Palestinian mobilisation of a "new generation".
Arab governments that have moved closer to Israel have "their own reasons... which are all still applicable", said Hussein Ibish, an analyst at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington.
"None of them are considering reneging on that based on the wars," he said.
Riccardo Fabiani, North Africa director at the International Crisis Group, said Arab governments value the security, diplomatic and military gains from ties with Israel.
"There's also the question of not giving in to popular pressure, which would set a very dangerous precedent for many of these countries," he told AFP.
The Arab Spring protests still haunt these governments, said Ibish, adding "not one of the major grievances has improved".
The Gaza war was sparked by Hamas's October 7 attack, which resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures that include hostages killed in captivity.
Israel's retaliatory military offensive has killed at least 41,689 people in Gaza, the majority of them civilians, according to figures provided by the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The UN has described the figures as reliable.
- New generations -
Arab leaders face a delicate balancing act with public demands for action.
Suppressing protests could stoke unrest over issues like mismanagement, unemployment or rising living costs, said Ibish.
Allowing demonstrations could "let off steam" safely, he added.
In Egypt, the Arab world's most populous nation, the risk of protests is deemed too high.
No rallies have been allowed since October 20, 2023 when a state-sanctioned protest veered towards Cairo's Tahrir Square, site of the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime president Hosni Mubarak.
Egyptians, long supporters of the Palestinian cause, have instead turned to boycott campaigns against companies seen as pro-Israel.
"Palestine is not the Palestinians' cause alone," reads the description of a mobile phone application with more than a million downloads, which enables users to scan barcodes to know whether products are on boycott lists.
Fabiani said these efforts have "no impact" now, but the long-term effect could be significant.
"There are generations that came of age after the Arab Spring, who have never known the possibility of free expression... who are having their political awakening through the Palestinian cause," he said.
burs-cgo/bk/bha/adp/ser/dv
L.Torres--PC