However, despite the absence of official acknowledgement, it is quite evident that Saudi Arab is very much a part of the NATO-Israel-UAE club already. Right after the deal was announced, Saudi Arab jumped into the picture, announcing that for the regime, peace with Palestinians is the only road for Israel to normalize diplomatic ties with the kingdom. After the Abraham accord was announced, rumors began of a possible “Arab NATO plus Israel” alliance forming between unlikely friends against the common threat of Iran. In fact, this deal is a reflection of the changing ties of geo-political alliances and counter alliances that the Middle Eastern region is witnessing in the contemporary age. Although the diplomatic meetings between Israel and UAE have been going on for years, the fact that the countries were able to reach this agreement at this point in time when Jerusalem has an official US embassy, and when Muhammad bin Salman Saudi Arabia has openly narrated his cordial sentiments for the right of Jews to have a nation-state of their own, show that the agreement is more than just another deal of normalization of diplomatic ties between two nation-states. However, in recent times, economic as well as geo-strategic concerns have resulted in a shift of alliances within the Middle Eastern political map. Previously, the Arab States have had a very stern pro-Palestine narrative on account of the historical affinity between Muslim states and the general Pan-Arabian sentiment that ensued. Shifting Alliances and Altering Geo-Political Mapping of Middle East: Amidst this chaos of conflicts and tussles for the land of Palestine, one of the major stake holders are the Arab countries. Although Israel has reconciled, to some extent, with other stake holders like Egypt and Jordon, the conflict between Palestinian State and the State of Israel seems to be quite prolonged and deeply troubling. The ongoing tussle is a dispute of claim for Gaza and the West Bank. Beginning in the mid-20 th Century, this conflict is the blood-soaked tale of Palestinians being snatched the right to reside in their own ancestral homeland on account of the Jewish claim of territorial legitimacy and ownership for the land their ancestors once occupied. This crisis has to two states competing for attaining territorial sovereignty for the land of Palestine. The prominent tussle is the Iran-Saudi Arabia conundrum, however, there is another issue that has been causing deaths and injury within the Middle Eastern region for over half a century, i.e. As of today, there are a number of conflicts going on in the Middle Eastern region. UAE has recently opened a revolutionary avenue of diplomatic cordiality with Israel by signing the well-known UAE-Israel peace deal, dubbed as the ’Abraham Accord.’ Although several of the Muslim countries have ties with the State of Israel already, what makes this treaty the center of global attention is the fact that UAE is only the third Arab country to do so, with Egypt and Jordon being the 1 st and 2 nd respectively in 19. The recent ‘Abraham Accord’ between Israel and UAE have highlighted the shifting sentiments and rapidly changing narratives in the geo-political chessboard of Middle Eastern region, thus, imploring further investigation into the underlying patterns and socio-economic undertones. The region which is the focal point of warring parties and weapon trade in the 21 st century has been undergoing astonishing shifts and turns in terms of military deals and global strategic partnerships amid the ongoing Cold War scenario between Saudi Arab and Iran and the Palestine-Israel conflict for territorial legitimacy. By Saamia Jahangir The past few decades have witnessed a revolutionary changes in the geo-political alliances of the Middle Eastern political map.
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