Events

Israeli-Gulf Relations and Changing Middle Eastern Geopolitics

Hosted by the Middle East Centre

Research Centres Meeting Suite, 9th Floor, Pankhurst House, Clement's Inn, WC2A 2AZ

Speaker

Dr Ian Black

Dr Ian Black

LSE Middle East Centre

Chair

Dr Michael Mason

Dr Michael Mason

LSE Middle East Centre

netanyahu-and-qaboos-600x800

Listen to the podcast of this event here

In recent years Israel has forged closer links with Arab Gulf states with which it has no diplomatic relations, unlike Egypt and Jordan. The main factors in their converging interests are shared alarm about Iran’s rise as a regional power, opposition to Barack Obama’s Middle East policies and the marginalization of the divided Palestinians. Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain all have business, security and intelligence ties with Israel, though since they are largely “below the horizon” it is hard to judge their extent. Qatar and Oman have links too – illustrated by Binyamin Netanyahu’s recent visit to Muscat and Doha’s role mediating with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. But these connections are more visible than ever before. Donald Trump’s wooing of the Saudis briefly promoted hopes for a role for Riyadh in the president’s long-trailed “deal of the century.” The US decision to abandon the international nuclear deal with Iran and reimpose sanctions was greeted by Israel and the Gulf states, raising the possibility of some kind of operational alliance between them, likely with US coordination, against Tehran. Netanyahu now talks openly of working to achieve normalization with the Saudis. The Gulf states, however, all remain committed to the 2002 Arab League peace initiative, which promises recognition of Israel in return for a solution of the Palestinian issue. That goal is unlikely to be either abandoned or achieved, but clandestine links look set to continue growing.

Ian Black (@ian_black) is Visiting Senior Fellow at LSE Middle East Centre and a former Middle East editor, diplomatic editor and European editor for the Guardian newspaper. 

Michael Mason is Director of the Middle East Centre. He is also Associate Professor in the Department of Geography and Environment and Associate of the Grantham Research Institute for Climate Change and the Environment. His research interests encompass environmental politics and governance, notably issues of accountability, transparency and security 

Join the conversation on Twitter using #LSEIsraelGulf

About the LSE Middle East Centre

The LSE Middle East Centre (@LSEMiddleEast) builds on LSE's long engagement with the Middle East and North Africa and provides a central hub for the wide range of research on the region carried out at LSE.

Join the MEC Mailing List

Join the MEC mailing list to keep up to date with our latest events, publications, news updates and podcasts.

Podcasts

Keep up to date with the latest MEC podcasts by following us on Soundcloud.

You can also find our latest interviews and videos on YouTube.

Twitter and Facebook

Keep in touch with the MEC through Twitter and Facebook for the latest updates on events, important Centre news and for details of Middle East events happening around London.

Accessibility

If you are planning to attend this event and would like details on how to get here and what time to arrive, as well as on accessibility and special requirements, please refer to LSE Events FAQ. LSE aims to ensure that people have equal access to these public events, but please contact the event’s organiser as far as possible in advance if you have any access requirements, so that arrangements, where possible, can be made. If the event is ticketed, please ensure you get in touch in advance of the ticket release date. Access Guides to all our venues can be viewed online

From time to time there are changes to event details so we strongly recommend checking back on this listing on the day of the event if you plan to attend.

Whilst we are hosting this listing, LSE Events does not take responsibility for the running and administration of this event. While we take responsible measures to ensure that accurate information is given here (for instance by checking that the room has been booked) this event is ultimately the responsibility of the organisation presenting the event.

Image: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with Sultan of Oman Qaboos bin Said. Source: Office of the Prime Minister / Flickr