Escalating Violence in Gaza Incites Regional Anger, Straining U.S. Alliances and Risking Broader Conflict

21

Within hours following reports of a deadly explosion at a hospital in Gaza, demonstrations erupted as protesters took aim at Palestinian security forces in the West Bank and anti-riot units in neighboring Jordan, expressing their indignation at their respective governments for failing to prevent the loss of life.

High-profile U.S. allies in the region—Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, King Abdullah II of Jordan, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas—have canceled a previously scheduled summit with U.S. President Joe Biden, who will now solely visit Israel.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has been actively engaged in talks with Arab leaders over the past week, in an attempt to diffuse rising tensions. However, the recent hospital explosion has cast doubt on the effectiveness of these diplomatic efforts. The long-standing grievances of the Palestinian people, which have been accentuated by U.S.-mediated normalization agreements between Israel and various Arab nations, are once again reigniting and pose the risk of widespread turmoil.

King Abdullah II, a key Western ally in the Middle East, has voiced grave concerns, stating that the conflict has reached a perilous stage and could bring about catastrophic consequences for the region.

Gaza’s Health Ministry, controlled by Hamas, attributes the hospital explosion to an Israeli airstrike. Israel, however, places the responsibility on a failed rocket attack by the Islamic Jihad group. President Biden, after landing in Tel Aviv, supported Israel’s version of events, though he noted that public opinion was divided on the matter.

Public sentiment was unambiguous among Arab demonstrators who assembled in multiple countries on late Tuesday to denounce what they perceived as Israeli aggression.

In the West Bank, currently under Israeli military occupation and subjected to a lockdown since a violent episode initiated by Hamas militants on October 7, protesters clashed with Palestinian security forces and demanded the removal of President Abbas.

Despite being viewed by Israel and Western nations as a potential mediator for peace, Abbas’s Palestinian Authority is increasingly seen by the Palestinian populace as a corrupt institution and complicit in the Israeli occupation.

Jordan, usually a haven of stability in the Middle East, has witnessed large-scale protests in recent days. On Tuesday evening, demonstrators aiming to express pro-Palestinian sentiments attempted to besiege the Israeli Embassy.

“Egyptian and other Arab rulers are all in the process of normalization. None of them are truly free; the free ones have already perished!” exclaimed one of the protesters.

In Egypt, activists congregated late Tuesday near the U.S. and U.K. embassies in Cairo, urging Egypt to sever diplomatic relations with Israel and expel its ambassador. While Egypt has managed to stifle large-scale protests, the volatile mix of a potential influx of Gazans into Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula and surging consumer prices amid high inflation could reignite unrest, similar to the popular uprising that toppled a U.S.-backed ruler in 2011.

Protests have also emerged in Lebanon, where Hezbollah has engaged in skirmishes with Israeli troops at the border, and in Morocco, signaling the potential for further regional involvement.

“The voice of the Arab populace has been marginalized by regional and Western governments for too long, but that is no longer sustainable,” commented Badr al-Saif, a history professor at Kuwait University. “The people are incensed.”

As recently as a few weeks ago, the regional atmosphere appeared much different. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had declared the Abraham Accords—a series of normalization agreements between Israel and four Arab states in 2020—as a historic pivot towards peace.

Yet the recent violence in Gaza has rekindled Arab and Muslim solidarity with the Palestinian cause, making normalization with Israel an increasingly untenable proposition for Arab governments.

“The ongoing hostilities in Gaza have revitalized the Palestinian issue,” remarked Ammar Ali Hassan, an Egyptian political analyst.

---

Reporting from Jerusalem by Krauss. Additional reporting by Big Big News writer Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Escalating Violence in Gaza

More about Escalating Violence in Gaza

• U.S. Department of State: Secretary Blinken’s Diplomatic Efforts
• The Abraham Accords: Full Text and Analysis
• Al Jazeera: Gaza Crisis
• BBC News: Middle East
• Human Rights Watch: Crisis in Gaza
• United Nations: Palestine and Israel conflict
• Council on Foreign Relations: U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East
• Egyptian Presidency Official Statement
• Jordan’s Royal Court: Statements
• Palestinian Authority Official News