Protests erupted following the Gaza hospital blast that killed hundreds. Demonstrators expressed anger by pelting stones at Palestinian security forces in the West Bank and clashing with riot police in neighbouring Jordan
Palestanians wounded after Israeli airstrikes at al-Ahli hospital in Gaza/ PTI
In the wake of the Gaza hospital blast that was reported to have claimed the lives of hundreds, widespread protests erupted. Demonstrators expressed anger over leaders for failing to stop the carnage by pelting stones at Palestinian security forces in the occupied West Bank and clashing with riot police in neighbouring Jordan, stated a report in The Associated Press.
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In response to this crisis, President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi of Egypt, King Abdullah II of Jordan, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, all of whom are traditionally regarded as friends of the United States and often welcome meetings with American presidents, decided to cancel a scheduled summit with Joe Biden. As a result, Biden's visit will now be confined to Israel.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had dedicated a significant portion of the past week to meeting with Arab leaders in an effort to alleviate tensions. However, these efforts now hang in the balance following the hospital blast, the AP report elaborated.
Decades of Palestinian suffering, which had been somewhat concealed by US-brokered normalisation agreements between Israel and Arab states, have resurfaced, potentially leading to broader unrest.
According to the report, King Abdullah expressed concern over the situation, warning that the ongoing conflict could push the region into an unimaginable catastrophe. King Abdullah is considered one of the Western world's closest allies in the Middle East.
Gaza's Health Ministry, which is under the control of Hamas, reported that an Israeli airstrike on the hospital resulted in hundreds of casualties. Israel, on the other hand, asserted that the explosion was caused by a rocket misfired by Palestinian militants, presenting aerial photos and other evidence to support its claims.
Upon his arrival in Tel Aviv, President Biden commented that the explosion seemed to have been caused "by the other team," rather than Israel, but acknowledged that there was uncertainty among the public regarding the incident.
Despite the doubts raised in some quarters, the Arab protesters who gathered in several countries on Tuesday were unequivocal in their condemnation of what they perceived as an Israeli atrocity, the report said.
In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, which has been under lockdown since a violent rampage by Hamas militants triggered the conflict on October 7, protests turned violent. Demonstrators clashed with Palestinian security forces and called for the removal of President Abbas.
Israel and the Western world have traditionally seen Abbas as a partner in efforts to reduce tensions, but his Palestinian Authority is widely viewed by Palestinians as a corrupt and autocratic collaborator in Israel's military occupation of the West Bank.
In Jordan, which has long been considered a bastion of stability in the region, mass protests have broken out in recent days. On Tuesday, pro-Palestinian demonstrators attempted to storm the Israeli Embassy. One protester voiced the frustration of many, told AP, "They are all normalizing Arab rulers, none of them are free; the free ones are all dead! Arab countries are unable to do anything!"
Egypt, the first Arab country to establish peace with Israel in the late 1970s, witnessed thousands of students rallying at universities to condemn Israeli airstrikes on Gaza. Demonstrators in Cairo, Alexandria, and other cities chanted slogans against Israel and expressed support for Al-Aqsa, a contested holy site in Jerusalem. In Cairo, a smaller protest occurred near the US Embassy, a rare sight given Egypt's history of suppressing dissent, the report stated.
However, concerns are growing in Egypt that the combination of Israel potentially pushing Gaza's population into Egypt's Sinai Peninsula and skyrocketing consumer prices due to rampant inflation could lead to a volatile situation in the country.
Protests also flared in Lebanon, where Hezbollah has engaged in confrontations with Israeli forces along the border, raising the possibility of the militant group entering the conflict with its substantial arsenal of rockets.
Badr al-Saif, a history professor at Kuwait University, emphasized the growing voice of the Arab street. He stated, "The Arab street has a voice. That voice may have been ignored in the past by governments in the region and the West, but they cannot do this anymore. People are on fire."
Just a few weeks ago, the regional landscape appeared vastly different. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had proudly referred to the Abraham Accords, a series of agreements in which four Arab states normalized relations with Israel in 2020, as a "pivot of history" heralding a new era of peace. These agreements were struck with autocratic leaders willing to set aside the Palestinian issue to secure their own benefits from the US, the report read.
The United Arab Emirates sought advanced fighter jets, Morocco gained US support for its claims in Western Sahara, and Sudan had longstanding US sanctions lifted. Saudi Arabia, the potential crown jewel in these normalization efforts, had sought a US defence pact, aid for a civilian nuclear program, and an undisclosed substantial concession to the Palestinians.
Shimrit Meir, a former diplomatic adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, noted that the impact of the ongoing conflict on normalisation efforts remains uncertain. She suggested that in the short term, these efforts may face challenges, especially in achieving a breakthrough with Saudi Arabia. However, in the long run, Israel's appeal to these countries hinges largely on its military strength and the need to restore its deterrence.
Despite high-level diplomacy, ordinary Arabs and Muslims continue to express strong solidarity with the Palestinian cause, even during events like last year's World Cup soccer tournament when Palestinian flags were prominently displayed, despite the absence of the Palestinian national team. The recent devastation in Gaza has rekindled those sentiments.
Ammar Ali Hassan, an Egyptian political scientist, affirmed that Arab governments face significant constraints when it comes to establishing ties with Israel during their actions against the Palestinians, citing the strong sentiments of the Arab people. He stated, "The Arab people won't accept such a move. Even the rulers wouldn't benefit from such ties at this time."
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