Bahrain, Jordan Recall Envoys, Saudi-Israel Normalisation Under Scrutiny Amid Arab Anger Over Gaza

Arab countries with normalised relations with Israel are facing public outrage demanding to cut those ties over the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. Large protests have erupted in Bahrain, Morocco and Egypt denouncing Israel’s actions amid the ongoing war against Hamas. The UAE Foreign Ministry initially called Hamas’s October 7 attack in southern Israel a “serious and grave escalation”. After Israel struck Gaza’s Jabalia refugee camp on October 31, the UAE warned that “indiscriminate attacks will result in irreparable ramifications in the region”. Saudi Arabia is also under pressure to curtail the normalisation efforts with Israel which both Netanyahu and Biden had touted as “historic”. Bahrain said it had recalled its ambassador to Israel and halted all economic ties with the country. This came a day after Jordan said it had also recalled its ambassador to Israel to protest against the “catastrophe” amid Israel’s attacks.