The major Arab states brought a message of temperance in unison. This position seems at first glance far from an opinion of solidarity with Gaza and the Palestinian populations.
“The enemy of my enemy is my friend. We have known for a long time that the Gulf monarchies, Jordan and Egypt are Israel's allies against Iran,” says Antoine Basbous, director of the Arab Countries Observatory. There is no question, either, of seeing anti-Israeli anger mutate into any popular revolt. The shadow of new Arab springs looms. In recent months, authorities have arrested nearly 1,500 people for protesting outside the Israeli embassy in Amman, according to Amnesty International. The Egyptian government warned of the “risk of regional expansion of the conflict” This Sunday, the Egyptian government said it was “in direct contact with all parties to the conflict to try to contain the situation”. The country had closed its airspace in anticipation of the attack, like Iraq and Lebanon.