Middle East – How Saudi Arabia wants to position itself as a peace broker – News

Saudi Arabia is offering itself as a mediator in the Middle East war. A further escalation would be a hindrance for the country.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman wants to position his country as an important player on the international stage. The kingdom recently resumed diplomatic relations with Iran and hosted an international conference on the Ukraine war a few months ago.

Further escalation should be avoided

Saudi Arabia is now offering itself as a mediator in the latest Middle East war. Because the Gulf monarchy has no interest in further escalation, says Christian Koch from the Saudi think tank Golf Research Center: “We can see that conflicts in the region also endanger the security of the countries in the Gulf and also Saudi Arabia itself. That’s why you’re trying to position yourself as an intermediary.”

Conflicts in the region are also damaging to Saudi Arabia’s presentation as an attractive business location. The kingdom is preparing to diversify its economy for a future in which fossil fuels will become less important. It attracts foreign investors on a large scale. An expansion of the war between Israel and Hamas into the region would be extremely hindering.

That’s why the country comes into play as a mediator. The kingdom will use its channels to Israel and Hamas, but will also involve its partners in the region, says Koch: “Saudi Arabia will use the framework of the Gulf Cooperation Council.” The council consists of the six Gulf states, i.e. Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

Signal to Palestinians

Some of these states have already normalized their relations with Israel and established diplomatic relations. But this is done without taking the political concerns of the Palestinians into account. This caused disagreements in the Arab world. The accusation: The rich Gulf states are abandoning the Palestinians.

Saudi Arabia has now halted talks on normalizing relations with Israel due to the massive bombing of the Gaza Strip. A signal to the Palestinians, says Koch: “On the one hand, it is a response to current developments in which the Palestinian question has become more important and Saudi Arabia will put its weight behind the rights of the Palestinians. »

Nevertheless, the halt in negotiations should not be overestimated. “On the other hand, Saudi Arabia’s role as a mediator is becoming even more important with current developments, as the country can also use its own channels to Palestinian groups, but also to states such as Iran, to argue against further escalation. »

Another important player in the region is the Emirate of Qatar, which maintains good contacts with the radical Hamas and also supported the group financially for a long time. However, Qatar has abandoned this and is increasingly committed to humanitarian purposes in Gaza, such as the construction of hospitals or power plants.

Qatar’s contacts with Hamas are very useful, says Koch: “In a situation like this, you also need communication channels to such groups.” Qatar is already holding talks with Hamas on this matter.

For Koch it is clear: Saudi Arabia and Qatar can and want to position themselves as peace brokers in the region.