Saudi Arabia's Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) recently complained about Israel's war on Hamas. That obscures the larger trend. The so-called "Arab street" has largely ceased to be a factor in Arab ruler calculations for survival.
This is certainly unfortunate:
Over the past few weeks, Mohammed bin Salman’s sharp criticism of Israel and overtures toward Iran have raised eyebrows across Washington and beyond. At a November 11 summit of Islamic nations in Riyadh, the Saudi crown prince accused Israel of committing “collective genocide” in Gaza and urged the international community — implicitly the United States — to compel Israel to respect Iran’s sovereignty. These statements mark a stark departure from the crown prince’s previously hostile rhetoric toward Iran and his often pragmatic stance on normalization with Israel.
While it is possible that this is tactical maneuvering to negotiate with Trump, this seems more relevant:
In recent weeks, Saudi citizens and officials have expressed intense anger over the devastation in Gaza, with the Biden administration facing harsh criticism for its perceived complicity. While Mohammed bin Salman wields near-absolute power, he is not immune to public sentiment.
Israel's
war on Hamas began shortly after the Hamas October 7, 2023 rape and
murder invasion of Israel. Yet only in recent weeks has the Saudi government
seen "intense anger" over the war? Where are the massive street protests
that once defined the Arab street? The demonstrations that scared Arab
autocrats? Autocrats who once were loudly anti-Israel to prevent such
demonstrations from occurring?
Have I missed the news of such protests anywhere in the Arab world? Or has there been a rise in mean tweets? Mind you, some sharp criticism no doubt helps calm potential assassins or coup urges. We shall see what happens when the highly visible kinetics gives way to intelligence-based police-type operations or covert operations against surviving Hamas assets.
And we'll see how the rapid fall of Assad to jihadis affects MBS's actions and rhetoric.
The Arab street is the dog that did not bark in the night. Oh sure, pro-Hamas Moslems and their Leftist allies in the prosperous West are still prone to protests and violence, But itt seems like Middle East Arabs are tired of treating Palestinians as Queen of the Victim Prom whose demands can't be ignored.
NOTE: TDR Winter War of 2022 coverage continues here.
NOTE: I'm adding updates on the Last Hamas War, including the revived Syria multi-war, in this post.
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NOTE: I made the image with Bing.
