LMAO, Using your logic, Germany shouldn't be bothered with helping Ukraine, and Europe(especially Eastern Europeans) shouldn't press the Germans to supply Weapons to Ukraine and distance themselves from Russian gas, because doing so hurts their economy and it's not in their "interests".
European countries are allies, and part of the common economic bloc named the European Union. While it is true that each country has individual interests that many times are divergent, it was in the common interest of all Europeans to defend Ukraine and stop Russia from advancing West.
In the Middle East, the equivalent is th Gulf Cooperation Council, made of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman. Those countries are natural allies with common interests. Notice that Palestine is not part of that group, and it is even far away from it (no direct border, not many cultural or economic similarities).
To make a better analogy, Palestine for the GCC countries is something like Armenia is for Europeans. There is some common ground, but they are far away and not important enough to warrant military or economic interventions. When Azerbaidjan retook the Nagorno-Karabakh, Europeans just asked for a ceasefire and did nothing. Very similar to the Saudis now when it comes to Palestine.
There's something larger than your individual country, and that is the civilizations you represents, the West spent a lot of time bullshitting everyone that they should only focus on their country "interests. According to their theory of statecraft, nobody around you is important but yourself, the Arabs and the muslims buys this shit, this is what led to the abandonment of the Palestinians by Arab states even though they're only a stone's throw away.
Meanwhile when it comes to their interests, like for example: Ukraine, you'll see the Westerners suddenly forming a ring to defend their people, even forcing countries like Germany into recession just to save Ukrainians many many miles away.
As I explained in the prior paragraphs, Ukraine is important for Europe (direct border with EU countries, potential for entry in the EU in the future, strong cultural ties with Poland) and Russia is a threat not only to Ukraine, but also to EU countries, while Palestine is insignificant for the Gulf countries and Israel is no threat to them. The situation in Palestine is important for Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Egypt, but is very insignificant for the GCC countries. For them, Yemen is a much bigger issue, and this is where they cooperated with the failed military attempt.
My point is, the GCC countries don’t have many common interests with the wider Arabic world. They are more aligned with the West, so Israel could be a natural ally for them against the Iranian threat.
Let me correct that for you: For the wealthy Arab leaders, Israel is a more natural ally than the Palestinians, because Israel is much more alike them.
Those countries are absolutist monarchies. The leaders don’t have to justify anything to the population. They are not democratic countries. And their strategy to keep the population from revolting is based on economic incentives, as people who are well fed and have an easy life are less likely to revolt. For their economies to work, they need to be friends with the West.
Also, Hamas is the type of organization that the Gulf leaders don’t want to see in their region. They feel threatened by Iranian proxies, so Israel is actually defending their interests when pummeling Iranian militias in Syria.
The Arabs are wealthy and happy enough without having to "open up" with Israel. Even in Indonesia, we are happy without opening up with Israel.
For the short term shortsightedness and little gain, the Arab leaders justify cooperating with Israel, showing just how corrupt these people are.
They want to open up to Israel as a way to build more security in the Middle East. Indonesia is not threatened by its neighboring countries, but the Gulf Arab kingdoms are. Remember that Kuwait was invaded by Iraq not long ago, and it was the Americans who came to their rescue. They need to cultivate good relations with the US (and by extension Israel) in order to deter any potential Iranian agression.
True, Arab leaders have no better choice, but the Arab people do have a choice.
Arab people have different interests based on where they live and the opportunities they have. Arabs from the rich Gulf countries are very content with the status quo. Arabs from Syria, Lebanon or Egypt may have other priorities as they are poorer.
People are more united by social class then by anything else. Ethnicity, religion, language, country, all of that comes second after socio-economic class. You have more in common with someone from the same economic class in a different country and culture than you have with the much poorer or much wealthier people in your own country.
Between now and 2049, there's a window of opportunity to flip over the old American designed Middle East order and replace it with the order of your own liking. What's happening in Gaza today might be the catalyst I'm looking for.
The current American designed Middle East order is very good for the wealthy Gulf countries, and they have all the reasons to defend the status quo. They should be crazy to challenge it as they have a lot to lose from any upheaval.
apnews.com
