America is back to playing regional cop in the Middle East

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• Meanwhile, not a single one of the six Arab governments “at peace” with Israel even bothered to recall its ambassador or freeze its normalisation, let alone close its embassy

• The Biden administration has warned regional players against attacking its foremost ally and deployed not one but two aircraft carriers to back up its words.

• Washington also dispatched Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin to reinforce the message to state and non-state actors alike.

• The US envoys doubled down on equating Hamas to ISIL (ISIS) to emphasise the brutality of the October 7 attack and make clear that there is no diplomatic solution to pursue, only a military one. The analogy with ISIL goes a long way to providing Israel with carte blanche to wage a “long and painful war” against Gaza

• The Biden administration has rejected Arab calls for de-escalation or a ceasefire, rendering the US complicit in present and future Israeli war crimes.

• It has also demanded from Arab governments and the Palestinian Authority to unequivocally condemn Hamas. Most have refused, with the exception of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.

• US pressure, however, managed to get the Arab League foreign ministers to release a watered-down statement after an emergency meeting in Cairo, equating Palestinian and Israeli actions for the first time by condemning the targeting of civilians on “both sides”.

• For years, poll after poll has highlighted the overwhelming Arab support for Palestine as the foremost Arab cause, and the growing hostility towards America, which is seen as a destabilising hegemonic force in the region

• In fact, there is clear synergy between the Palestinian and the broader Arab struggle for justice and freedom.