The recent visit of the Israeli PM to Oman and Saudi Arabia has put the relations between the GCC countries and Israel in the spotlight. Also, recent events like April’s general election in Israel or the impulse of the ‘deal of the century’ by the Trump administration have forced some countries to take a clear stance.

Three main paths can be observed. The first one, represented by Saudi Arabia or the UAE, follows the directions set by Washington, despite the dissonance between the support of the Palestinian cause and the rapprochement towards Israel. The second one, represented by Kuwait, is defined by a long standing support of the Palestinian Authority, a close relation with its leaders and a large Palestinian diaspora community. The third one includes the de facto recognition of the state of Israel but the funding of parties like Hamas, a stance better represented by Qatar and, to a lesser extent, Oman.

Some early conclusions include that there is not a common stance in the GCC. Instead, every GCC country has its own incentives to determine their policies towards Israel and the Palestinian Territories. Also, the new set of alliances prompted by the MbS and MbZ partnership is redefining some of these positions.