As Yemen’s pro-Iranian Houthi rebels intensify their attacks against Saudi Arabia, the mutual defense clause contained in the Mecca Agreement remains inactive. Specifically, Pakistan has never denied the media leaks that led its government to state its unwillingness to provide military assistance to Saudi Arabia, while at the same time, Turkey’s silence on the matter is striking.
However, as noted on tonight’s main news broadcast of ALPHA Cyprus by the station’s Middle East analyst, Gabriel Charitos, noted on tonight’s main news broadcast on ALPHA Cyprus, not all the terms of the Mecca Agreement have been made public, leading to the assessment that the conditions potentially contained therein may not have been met. In any case, however, it is a fact that the military impact of this agreement on the region, at least so far, has not become apparent.
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Mohammed bin Salman Makes an Unannounced Visit to Cairo
On the other hand, today’s unexpected visit by Saudi Arabia’s strongman, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to Egypt, where he met privately with the country’s president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. The timing of the visit is particularly noteworthy, as in recent hours Saudi Arabia has experienced one of its worst periods of tension on the front lines with the Houthis, with sirens sounding in Mecca and Jeddah.
The official statement issued today by the Presidential Palace in the Egyptian capital does not resolve the questions surrounding the purpose of today’s meeting. The Egyptian official statement followed the familiar framework of mutual understanding and solidarity between the two countries, as well as stating that Egypt supports the protection of the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. However, it has not yet become clear whether Egypt will ultimately assist the Riyadh government with concrete actions, while the possibility remains open that the Sisi administration may decide to have Egypt join the Mecca Agreement. In any case, the very fact that this emergency visit by Mohammed bin Salman to Egypt took place is news in itself, and its practical implications may become clear in the coming period.
It is worth noting, however, that today’s visit to Cairo by the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, is not related to Mohammed bin Salman’s emergency visit to the Egyptian capital. Abbas’s official visit to Egypt had been scheduled well in advance. The Palestinian President’s visit will conclude tomorrow, when a private meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is scheduled.
Is a new Abraham Accord between Israel and Kuwait on the horizon?
New developments are emerging on the diplomatic front in the Middle East, as reported in an interview late tonight on Israeli public radio by Israel’s ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Yossi Shelly, who previously served as head of Benjamin Netanyahu’s private office.
Yossi Shelly expressed the view that “within the next four to six months from now, it is not out of the question that Israel could sign a new Abraham Accord with yet another Arab country in the region.” In fact, he added that the country that might normalize its diplomatic relations with Israel could be Kuwait.
It is worth noting that when Israel and the UAE normalized their bilateral relations by signing the first Abraham Accords in September 2020, Kuwait condemned the move, with its government stating at the time that “it would be the last to recognize Israel” and that “if such a thing ever happens, an independent Palestinian state must first have been established.”
Watch Gabriel Charitou’s segment on tonight’s main newscast on ALPHA Cyprus with Dimitra Makrygianni
