A closer look at the political and security dilemmas that Arab leaders will face as the Hamas-Israel war intensifies.
In the days since Hamas launched its ferocious October 7 terrorist attack and Israel began its massive response in the Gaza Strip, Arab governments have been caught in a difficult bind. Several Arab countries had entered, or were in the process of making, historic normalization agreements with Israel, while others are long-standing peace partners who enjoy mutually beneficial diplomatic and security relations. At the same time, support for the Palestinian cause runs high among Arab populations, and amid a war that seems likely to cause massive destruction in Gaza, Arab leaders must walk a careful line to avoid triggering a domestic and diplomatic backlash. Meanwhile, the floundering Palestinian Authority, long in power in the West Bank, faces escalating challenges of its own. And with a months-long security breakdown, the PA now faces the real possibility that the West Bank could be drawn into Hamas’s war...