by Leonid Tsukanov
[REGNUM] The joint summit of the League of Arab States (LAS) and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) recently concluded in Riyadh. The dialogue format, launched after the crisis in the Gaza Strip, involuntarily became a platform for consolidating the positions of the US regional allies in 2024 before the “shift change” in the White House.
Saudi Arabia, which hosted the summit, decided to take an interesting step by attempting to advance some elements of a settlement within the framework of the LAS-OIC proposals that are characteristic of the Chinese approach. Including with the expectation that this will allow Beijing and Washington to somewhat bring their positions on the situation in the Middle East closer together.
However, while the Saudis are trying to unobtrusively “make friends” between the American and Chinese approaches to settling the Middle East, Beijing prefers to “keep its distance” and not demonstrate interest in active mediation.
IN SEARCH OF A WAY
The central topic of the Riyadh summit, as expected, remained the situation in the Gaza Strip. And the Arabian monarchies used the approaching change of power in the White House to “prick” Israel as much as possible: Tel Aviv was placed “solely responsible” for the failure of the negotiations on a settlement in the region with the mediation of Egypt, Qatar and the United States.
| Of course. But since both parties intend to continue the fight, blame-casting accomplishes nothing more than momentarily flattering the speakers’ amour propre. And since the incoming president knows they are all lying, it will be a very momentary pleasure indeed. |
| I have no idea what that means, but it sounds awfully insightful and profound. |
| If it makes this lot happy to waste time and effort that will only be ignored in a very few weeks — go for it, guys. |
Thus, the summit participants warned against the consequences of violating the sovereignty of Iraq, Syria and Iran without decisive measures by the UN,
| “Please don’t let Israel hurt them more!” |
| Go for it, guys. Just remember that oil prices are about to fall back to 2020 levels, so your budgets are going to tighten up again — you don’t want to overcommit.. |
| And who knows? The horse may learn to sing. |
| O.M.G. The level of creativity is astounding. |
IN MY OWN INTERESTS
Why did Saudi Arabia decide to take such a strange step? The answer lies in Riyadh’s regional interests.
With Qatar, the main mediator in the Gaza settlement, “out of the picture,” the future of the “Biden plan” has become even more uncertain.
| I would have called it absolutely certain not to happen, but I’m just a little suburban housewife — what do I know? |
| Israel is absolutely honouring her commitment to wipe out Hamas. She has made no other. |
However, Trump’s team, apparently, does not yet have a clear understanding of how to stop the Palestinian-Israeli conflict,
| …that’s certainly one perspective… |
Moreover, Israeli counterparts, hiding behind Trump’s name, have already set their sights on the West Bank of the Jordan,
| …they’ve tried to give it back, but Jordan has repeatedly refused to take it, preferring to kibitz from the sidelines… |
For this reason, Riyadh tried to squeeze the maximum out of the past summit in order to demonstrate its readiness to offer Washington a ready-made and at the same time maximally adaptive scenario for a settlement.
| Ahhh. They aren’t trying to craft a solution, but demonstration willingness to solve. Clever! |
Of course, Riyadh does not plan to emphasize once again the nature of some points of its settlement model. On the contrary, they are deliberately included in other proposals - in particular, they echo the "Arab Peace Initiative" promoted by the Saudis over the past few years.
| The one that’s a No Go? Clearly hope springs eternal. |
Despite the fact that the region has generally created favorable conditions for further promotion of the “Chinese formula” for conflict resolution, China has so far preferred to stay somewhat away from the Gaza issue and not respond to attempts to bring the Chinese and American approaches closer together.
China's caution is easily explained: Trump's team is still being formed, and it is not yet possible to trace the real priorities of his foreign policy.
The real readiness of the Republicans to maintain a working dialogue with China is also controversial. During the election campaign, Trump changed his position several times, sometimes calling for friendship with Beijing, sometimes promising its “quick overthrow.”
Given that China is increasingly leaning towards a “one move, one win” tactic, its inclusion in the Gaza negotiation process will only happen when the risks of a deal falling through are minimized.
However, Beijing, apparently, does not plan to hinder the Saudis’ attempts to give the future American formula for a settlement in Gaza a “Chinese tint.”