"The summit in Saudi Arabia was delayed for more than a month. We blame the Rafah crossing for being closed, we blame there was no real threat from Saudi Arabia to stop the war. We need their action on our behalf." Thus, since the weekend, Hamas associates have expressed frustration with the Arab countries.
Even earlier, the terrorist organization had disappointed Nasrallah, who, according to senior Hamas figure Saleh Arouri, was supposed to act more forcefully. So much so that those close to Hezbollah called for an end to mutual invective on social media, promising that escalation in the north would intensify.
Every Arab country has a different answer to the accusations. In Jordan, for example, a second shipment of medical equipment dropped at midnight between Saturday night and Sunday night at the Jordanian hospital in eastern Gaza City. At the same time, the royal family is using more virulent language, from Queen Rania, who denied the scale of the October 7 massacre, to King Abdullah, who declared: "The repression did not begin a month ago, but seven decades ago." Moreover, miraculously, a drone launched from Syria towards Eilat was not intercepted in the kingdom, even though drones carrying drug shipments are.
Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, is simply attacking both sides. On the one hand, they criticize Israel and speak out against the West's "double standards." After all, whoever hosts dictator Bashar Assad, who massacred Syrians (and Palestinians), is known for his solid moral principles. On the other hand, criticism is voiced about the exploitation of hospitals and the catastrophe brought by Hamas to Gaza. "Our rulers, clerics and people curse them from morning to night," commented one journalist. The heads of Hamas, Haniyeh and Mashaal, are presented as having "completed their plan" against the backdrop of tens of thousands of evacuees to the southern Gaza Strip. This is not necessarily out of affection for Israel, as much as a deep loathing of the terrorist organization.
Weeks before the October 7 massacre, Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, declared that strengthening ties with Israel was "a gamble on the losing horse." Tehran expressed concern about the warming between Israel and Saudi Arabia, which could have created a powerful regional alliance against the "resistance axis."
Indeed, Tehran's political goal of halting the talks has been achieved, but bin Salman has not abandoned his ambitions. Evidence of this can be found in his speech at the summit, in which he also called for the release of Israeli hostages. Besides, the Arab states are in no hurry to use all the cards. "The declaration of 57 Islamic and Arab countries at the Riyadh summit is a necessary condition for effective action... But it is certainly not enough," Iranian official Ali Shamkhani said yesterday.
These messages apparently also conveyed in a meeting held by Iranian President Raisi with his Egyptian counterpart. Israel will have to crack the political challenge created by Egypt. So far, Sisi has rejected offers to take over the Gaza Strip the day after Hamas or take in refugees in northern Sinai. However, Egypt did not like Hamas complaints about opening the Rafah crossing, since it is open intermittently.
This crack must be exploited. Washington has leverage that could put pressure on Cairo. For some time now, the land of the Nile has been suffering from an economic crisis, resulting from a huge deficit and a lack of support from the Gulf states. A generous aid package could change her position.
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