To Prevent a Disaster!

We were, and still are, on the verge of “the incident,” of an event with dire consequences that threatens the security of the peoples of the region and shakes the very foundations of the earth. The imminent danger was and remains closer than a vein, and more formidable than the two previous wars between the United States and Israel on one side, and Iran on the other. Yet we thank God and acknowledge His grace that the shrewdness of the Mecca Alliance, comprising the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan, proved faster than “near-certain” fate, and reached the spiritual realm before souls ascended to their Creator due to a war whose extent only God knows. They went to the heart of the Iranian sphere, struck at the core of the matter while it was still in its cradle in the capital, Tehran. They met with senior officials there, discussed everything, not for any other reason than to spare bloodshed, to avoid an impending war, and to prevent its outbreak at any cost. Such a war would harm not only the warring states but would also devastate everything, potentially setting back the region, which has already suffered for decades, to an earlier era.

We expected representatives from all Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and the Arab Republic of Egypt to join this delegation, given that the catastrophic damage would affect these countries collectively, without distinction or exception. Everyone knows that Egypt was not distant from what is happening in the region. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz and its counterpart, the Bab al-Mandab, severely harmed the Egyptian economy, leading to rising inflation and a decline in Suez Canal revenues—the strategic artery for foreign currency and the national income of the land of Kanan. Everyone knows that rising oil prices did not harm only European countries but also affected many regional states, particularly non-oil-producing Arab countries. Everyone recognizes the scale of human damage, developmental setbacks, and losses in assets, equipment, and property suffered by the six GCC states. Even the land of the Two Holy Mosques was not spared from ballistic missiles and drones. Even countries connected to maritime chokepoints incurred heavy losses due to the tensions prevailing at the Bab al-Mandab and Hormuz straits.

All of this personally leads me to think aloud, addressing those of sound mind and intellect, so that we may speak frankly about a more influential alliance and a grouping more capable of negotiating with all parties, because all parties will suffer harm without distinction or exception. Arab national security cannot be fragmented, dissected, divided into several segments, categories, or curves. We are all under the same barrage of fire, and all of us in this fierce war are threatened with destruction and ruin. What is hidden is greater. They say that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. And here we are, within a step-by-step policy, opening the door for the “Mecca” Alliance to visit Tehran—not to exchange smiles and engage in quiet diplomacy, but to deliberate on the future of the region, on the just, comprehensive, and lasting peace that peoples desire, that needs impose, and that considerations drive.

Here, it should be noted that all fragmented diplomatic efforts, detached from their contexts, have thus far yielded only a temporary truce, not a permanent, comprehensive, and just peace. Just as this step, which we welcome as a starting point, came late when we wished it had come earlier. Indeed, it was said that the axe should fall on the head, and that the Israeli elections would result in another victory for Netanyahu, which would ignite the fierce war, further inflame it, and place the region once again under destruction, ruin, and successive crises. Thus, the Mecca Alliance’s step came at its appropriate time, despite its lateness, and came without the participation of other GCC countries and Egypt, despite their importance. What is required now is more meetings in Tehran, Mecca, or Manama.

It doesn’t matter; what matters is putting an end to this tension and forging an agreement that ensures peace for all, so that our country can focus on development rather than being distracted by seeking more costly and cumbersome means to protect people and resources. Who knows?