Salman, Raisi moment

The diplomatic mosaic of Mideast is in a state of flux. The debut telephonic conversation between Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Muhammad bin Salman and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is set to have long-term ramifications for the region. An immediate casualty of the serene 45-minute talk is the US-dictated normalisation process between Arab states and the Jewish entity, which for all practical purposes has been put on the backburner. Hamas’s October 7 incursions into Israel have belied the belief that the Zionist state is invincible. With more than 100 high-profile servicemen in militia’s captivity, and the refusal of Egypt and Jordan to take in refugees from Gaza, plans of congeniality have been torpedoed, and now the only worry for the Arab leadership is how to descale the volatility.

It is a good omen that Salman and Raisi are on the same page, as both the Islamic states want to limit the war. It is their moment now. Tehran’s nod that it is not in it as a state entity was soothing for Riyadh ears, and this has snowballed some diplomacy from the Crown Prince to convince Washington that it’s time to tame Tel Aviv. This is one of the biggest breakthroughs of sorts that would save the region and the world from another catastrophic war. With non-state entities such as Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and a lot of mercenaries from Iraq, Syria and Yemen on their heels to pour in their contribution, it is a nightmare in the making. This is where Salman and Raisi have a role to play, and work for a permanent Palestinian solution by virtue of their influence.

The strategy that is desired is how to obstruct Israel, and stop its invasion of Gaza Strip. A million Palestinians are living on the edges, and are surely on the verge of being homeless once again. Nabka-2 is in the making for them. The lethal bombardment of Israel that has taken a toll of more than 2,000 civilians in the last three days is only because none came ahead from the international community to call a spade a spade. This sense of appeasement will bring in more destruction.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 15^th, 2023.

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