How the Arab World's tone towards Israel is shifting

A government official has confirmed that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi referred to Israel as an enemy at the summit of Arab and Islamic leaders in Qatar on Monday. It's the first time an Egyptian leader has used the word enemy to describe Israel since Cairo recognized Israel in 1979, becoming the first Arab country to do so. Al-Sisi used the word in a fiery speech at a summit of Arab and Islamic countries meeting in response to Israel's attack last week on Hamas leaders in Doha. While Cairo has taken no steps to change its status with Israel, the Egyptian President's words are a sign of how seriously his government is taking Israel's recent actions. We must change how the enemy views us. They need to feel that any Arab nation is part of a single land stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf, with all the Islamic nation and peace-loving countries. For this view to change, robust decisions are required. Now, to help us understand what this shift in language means for actual regional politics, we are joined by Middle East expert Professor Fawaz Gerges. Professor, how much of a watershed is it when Egypt is now calling Israel an enemy again? Well, I mean, it tells you a great deal that the patience of the leading Arab states is running out. There is a widespread perception that Israel is a rogue state. Israel is out of control. Israel is a revisionist state. Israel is an expansionist state. The attack, Israel's attack on Qatar really represented a turning point, violating the sovereignty of Qatar. Qatar as the major mediate between Israel and Hamas. Qatar that has basically received multiple Israeli officials. So by attacking Qatar, violating the sovereignty of Qatar, trying to assassinate all the top leaders of Hamas, I think the Qataris, the Egyptians, the Jordanians, even the Saudis and the Emiratis have come to realize that Benjamin Netanyahu really is out of control, that something has to happen, that the United States has not really restrained Benjamin Netanyahu. On the contrary, in fact, the largest American military base in the Middle East is in Qatar. Qatar promised to invest more than a trillion dollars in the U.S. economy. And yet what we know now is that Donald Trump not only knew about the Israeli attack on Qatar, but in fact, he had given a green light to Benjamin Netanyahu, according to multiple sources in Israel and the United States. So what we heard yesterday in Qatar during the summit by Arab and Muslim state is that they are telling Israel, look, enough is enough. And most importantly, you mentioned president, the Egyptian president. I mean, I think probably your audience doesn't know the Arab states have not taken a single punitive measure against Israel in the past. Yes, not even a single one. And even yesterday, they did not review economic and political relations. They did not recall the ambassadors from Israel. They did not basically freeze the normalization process between Israel and the Arab state. Abdel Fattah Sisi addressed the Israeli public directly and told the Israeli public, look, what your government is doing is jeopardizing the existing peace accords between Israel and us. And basically jeopardizing any kind of future peace deal between Israel and the Arab state. And we all lose if a wider conflict basically breaks out in the region. With everything that you've just said in mind, put all together, do you think that this shift in rhetoric from the Egyptian president could signal a possible shift into actual military action, a regional conflict? I doubt it very much. I doubt it very much because neither Egypt, nor Jordan, nor Qatar, nor Saudi Arabia basically seeks a wider conflict with Israel. On the contrary, what we have been seeing in the past few months are basically the Arab leaders are warning the Israeli public. The Arab leaders are pleading with the Americans to restrain Benjamin Netanyahu. In fact, the Qatari Emir Tamim and President Trump made it very clear that in the past few months, a year or so, Benjamin Netanyahu was manipulating the process. He was basically playing around tactically. He was not really interested in any kind of a hostage deal. And the Qatari Emir said, look, if Benjamin Netanyahu was interested in basically having the hostages back, well, why would he try to kill the entire top leadership of Hamas? Why would he violate the sovereignty of Qatar, which is a leading member of the negotiating process? On the whole, what we are seeing more polarization. And I want you to know, I want your audience to know that Arab leaders are coming under tremendous pressure from their public opinion at home. In particular, the Egyptian president, the Jordanian king, the Saudi leadership. I mean, everywhere you have now really a what I call a popular revolt growing under the surface. And they're all afraid of a kind of a major upheaval, social upheaval at home as a result of Israeli aggression. And in particular, as a result of the crimes that Israel are committing on a daily basis. And now with the new phase of escalation in Gaza City. So the Arab states are at tremendous pressure at home and they don't really have anyone to appeal to because the United States under Donald Trump has forfeited its leadership role. And Donald Trump has sided with Benjamin Netanyahu against the Israeli public because the Israeli public has been pleading with the United States and the world to basically help reach a settlement and bring their beloved ones, the Houthis back. Yet he sent his secretary of state, Marco Rubio, yesterday to Israel and basically reiterating and wavering US support for Benjamin Netanyahu's war goal, which is absolute victory and probably occupation of Gaza for the next few years or more. Professor Fawaz Jirgis, I'm afraid we have to leave it here. Thank you very much.