Israel’s entry into the Gulf puts Pakistan to a ...

Summary

• For Pakistan, the important question is not merely what Israel intends, but how the emerging regional system could affect Pakistan’s security environment.
• If Israel develops deeper security links with Gulf states while Iran increasingly relies on its regional partners, the Middle East could become more polarised rather than more stable.
• For Pakistan, the challenge is to remain a reliable partner to Saudi Arabia, maintain strategic cooperation with Türkiye, preserve working relations with Iran, and at the same time protect its own sovereignty and security interests.

AI Generated Summary

The Middle East appears to be standing at another dangerous crossroads. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent visit to Abu Dhabi and his meeting with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed have generated questions about the direction of regional security politics and the possibility of a new strategic alignment. Reports initially suggested that representatives of several Arab countries had participated in an expanded discussion involving Israel and the UAE, with Iran, the Houthis, air defence and regional security reportedly among the subjects under discussion. However, Saudi Arabia and Jordan have denied that their representatives attended such a meeting. Therefore, claims about a ten-country or wider regional security gathering should be treated with caution rather than presented as an established alliance.

Yet the controversy itself is significant. Even if the reported wider meeting did not take place in the form initially described, the fact that such reports emerged at this particular moment reveals the strategic anxiety gripping the region. Israel is seeking deeper security cooperation with Arab states, while Gulf countries are looking for protection against missiles, drones and other threats. Iran, meanwhile, views expanding Israeli security cooperation in the Gulf with profound suspicion. The result is a geopolitical chessboard on which every move can have a knock-on effect.

For Pakistan, the timing could hardly be more sensitive. Islamabad has recently entered into a new collective-defence arrangement with Saudi Arabia and Türkiye. The agreement provides that an armed attack on one signatory would be regarded as an attack on all, while the three countries have also been working to enhance military coordination, intelligence sharing and defence capabilities. Their military chiefs recently met in Riyadh to discuss closer cooperation and the evolving regional security situation.

This development places Pakistan in a delicate strategic position. On the one hand, Saudi Arabia is a longstanding strategic partner and the security of the Kingdom has enormous importance for Pakistan. On the other hand, Pakistan shares a border and a long history of diplomatic engagement with Iran. Islamabad therefore has to walk a tightrope: it must honour its commitments to Saudi Arabia without allowing itself to become an automatic participant in every regional confrontation.