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Memri
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Memri
Article In UAE Daily: The Gulf States' Silence On The Iran-Israel Conflict Stems From Fear Of Its Possible Ramifications
Against the backdrop of the escalating Israel-Iran military conflict, Yemeni journalist Hani Salem Mashour explained in his June 16, 2025 column in the UAE daily Al-Arab that the UAE is working to stop the escalation because of its profound fear that the situation's deterioration into a broad regional war would threaten its own existence and that of all the Gulf states. Stating that "the deliberate silence of the Gulf states today does not mean neutrality, but is [the result of their] careful calculations," he added that while they cannot allow Iran to go nuclear and cannot forget Iran's consistent support for militias that destabilize the region, at the same time they cannot risk an expansion of the war which would undermine the stability of the region. Risking an expanded war is also not an option for them, he wrote, as it is they who will suffer for it. Noting in this context that the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war "tore the entire Arab Gulf to shreds," he recalled how these countries had "paid a heavy price in stability, security, and economy" for a war in which they had no part. He added that the Gulf states now want to prevent this from happening again, and thus the UAE strives to stop the region from igniting and is seeking a diplomatic solution. He also wrote that the waging of this battle must not be left in the hands of "actors obsessed with a bloody [military] win," and called on "rational Arabs – headed by the UAE – to continue to play a balancing, responsible role, not just due to fear of the fire, but also due to the awareness that the entire region will not survive if one of its elements burns up." The following is a translation of excerpts from Mashour's June 16, 2025 article: "From the heart of the deep strikes that shake Iran from within, and from among the echoes of the explosions in the nuclear basements and nuclear warehouses, a new map of regional deterrence is being drawn: Israel strikes and Iran is silent or finds it difficult to respond. At the same time, eyes are raised to the Arab Gulf – not because it is a side in the conflict, but because it is the arena that is at risk and is expected to explode. Amid this historic collision between two axes that are armed with both ideology and technology, the UAE emerges as a different voice, that is trying to tell the world that not all countries are lining up behind the fire. "For decades, the UAE has believed that stability is not an accident of circumstance but a strategic identity, and in the current scene that is in flames, it is again presenting itself as a responsible state that is attempting, using diplomacy, to hold open the door of reason. While not denying that Israel and Iran have entered a stage of open conflict, and not ignoring the multi-sided nature of the [Iran-Israel] conflict [indirectly involving arenas] from Gaza to Sana'a, from Lebanon to the heart of Tehran. But at the same time, it understands very well that this great conflagration [of the direct Iran-Israel conflict] will sweep everyone away.. "With every explosion in Iran, [Arabs] must ask: Who will pay if this clash crosses the gray lines and becomes an all-out regional war? "The UAE, and with it the Arab Gulf states, know the answer to this question all too well. They lived an entire decade in this region under the shadow of others' clashes. The Iran-Iraq war was not only at Iran's borders; it also tore the entire Arab Gulf to shreds... The Arab Gulf states paid a heavy price in stability, security, and economy for a war in which they had no part. As far as the political consciousness of the Gulf [states] and of the UAE in particular is concerned, the drums of war are a warning sign... "The UAE leadership realizes that the region cannot endure a major war; when wars break out, they don't care about geography [i.e. they spill over and expand] ... The UAE experienced this when the fire of the Houthis spread from Sa'ada [in Yemen] across the entire Arabian Peninsula... "In light of this clash, it has become clear that the entire Arab Gulf, led by the UAE and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is carefully considering its options. True, no one [in the Gulf] will trust a nuclear Iran, and true, no one will forget Iran's bankrolling of the [Shi'ite] militias and destruction of [Arab] countries. But [for the Gulf states,] standing on the threshold of a mini-world war between Israel and Iran is not an acceptable option... "The deliberate silence of the Gulf [states] today does not mean neutrality, but is [the result of their] careful calculations. As the Israelis wage their security campaign [against the Iranian nuclear project] and the Iranians are getting slapped again and again, the responsible Arabs are working to put out the fire, not pour oil on it. That is the fundamental difference between a country that believes that hegemony is [achieved] through destruction and one that believes that genuine influence is built only through development, openness, and stable partnerships. "The truth is that the world should listen more to the voice of the UAE... It is unfortunate that this voice is sometimes sidelined amid the clamor of guns and speeches about the 'holy' wars, even though it is the only balanced voice warning against a recurrence of past catastrophes. "The current Israel-Iran campaign, which is likely to expand to Lebanon, Yemen, and Iraq, must not be left in the hands of actors obsessed with a bloody [military] win. The rational Arabs – headed by the UAE – must continue to play a balancing, responsible role, not just out of fear of the fire, but also out of an understanding that [if the situation develops into war], the entire region will not survive if one of its elements burns up." "It is true that the UAE is not a superpower – but it is a country with a vision. It is true that its diplomacy does not work miracles, but it prevents disasters. In moments of great madness, what we need is not more missiles, but more courage to say no to war... "The UAE, which over the past five decades has gained top-quality mediation experience, understands that the window [of opportunity for] negotiations is closing rapidly, and that the last chance for containing the Iranian nuclear crisis and mutual Tel Aviv-Tehran deterrence is only through quiet diplomatic channels... "The UAE's position today... is to aspire to build a rational Arab position to strengthen the region [and protect it] from spilling over into open [battle]fronts, to lay the foundation for viable understandings that will transcend this emotional moment, and to re-establish a regional balance of interests based on shared security, respect for sovereignty, and a halt to foreign interference [in each other's domestic affairs]. "Today, every diplomatic move by the UAE, and all the quiet contacts [conducted] behind the scenes, are a genuine attempt to salvage what can be salvaged... What the UAE is doing today is exactly what any wise country must do: stand on the brink of [an abyss] – not to jump, but to keep others from falling."[1]
Memri
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Memri
Article On Emirati News Site: The D.C. Terror Attack In In Which Two Israel Embassy Staffers Were Murdered Is A Mini-Version Of 9/11 And A Direct Result Of The West Ignoring The Danger Of The Muslim B
In a May 23, 2025 article on the Emirati news site Al Ain, Yemeni columnist Hani Salem Mashour responded to the May 21, 2025 murderous attack in Washington D.C. in which two staff members of the Israeli embassy in Washington were shot dead. Hani wrote that the shooting was a "mini-version" of the September 11, 2001 attacks in the U.S. and a direct continuation of them, since both attacks sprang from the same ideological root and were perpetrated under the same political pretext. Moreover, both were a direct result of the Western policy that allows political Islam organizations, in particular the Muslim Brotherhood (MB), to operate in the West in the name of liberties and the freedom of expression while ignoring its discourse of incitement and hatred. Mashour added that, despite the time that has elapsed since the September 11 attacks, no meaningful action has been taken to constrain the incitement of political Islam: the Arab world has not purged its religious discourse of extremism, and the West continues to permit the activity of these extremist organizations within its borders, along with their inciting discourse. Furthermore. the West disregarded the warning of Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Aal Nahyan in 2017 that "the MB is more dangerous than Al-Qaeda and ISIS," and that tolerating political Islam in Western countries would turn them into incubators of terrorist and hate-filled discourse.[1] In these circumstances, he said, the terrorist attack in Washington comes as no surprise. Mashour urged the Arab countries and the West to join forces in a comprehensive campaign against political Islam, and warned that hesitation in this matter would only lead to more attacks. Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky, the two Israel Embassy staffers murdered in Washington D.C. (Source: May 22, 2025) The following are translated excerpts from Mashour's article:[2] "What happened in Washington [i.e. the murder of the two Israeli Embassy staffers] did not take place in a vacuum. It was a distant echo of a larger explosion that occurred more than two decades ago in New York. The equation has not changed since September 11, only the façade has changed: from planes to guns, and from Al-Qaeda to lone wolves nourished by the discourse of political Islam dressed up in slogans about discrimination. Between the former terrorist attack [i.e., 9/11] and the recent bullet, the Arab world missed the opportunity to renew its religious discourse, and the West hesitated in its struggle against organizations that despise its democracy yet are nourished by its laws. "What took place in Washington is just a replica, albeit in miniature, of the September 11, 2001 [attacks] – the same ideological root, the same political justification wrapped in slogans, and the same fatal Western disregard of those who lead the hate-filled discourse, [disregard] under the banner of 'rights and freedoms.' Between these two dates there was sufficient time to learn lessons, but the Arabs did not renew their religious discourse and the West did not dry up the wellsprings of terrorism. "On the contrary, at their conferences, Arab [Islamists] began to refer to Western cities – from London to Amsterdam and from Paris to Washington – as 'London-stan,' 'Amsterdam-stan,' 'Paris-stan' and 'Washington-stan.' [These] cities started to produce a discourse of hatred in the name of Islam, [discourse that emerged] not from the caves of Kandahar and Tora Bora in Afghanistan but from the heart of licensed mosques, non-governmental organizations and university classes. "The murderer in Washington [D.C.] needed no orders from any leadership [to perpetrate the attack]. It's enough that he was raised in an ideological atmosphere that enabled [the name] Palestine to be mixed up with terrorism and [the demand for] liberty to be mixed up with slaughter. The words he uttered before firing [his weapon, i.e., "Free Palestine!"] were no slip of the tongue, but the essence of the incitement that has been ongoing for decades in the name of the just [Palestinian] cause, which was long ago highjacked by political Islam. "In this context precisely came the courageous early warning of Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Aal Nahyan, who said what many hadn't dared to say, [namely that] the Muslim Brotherhood is more dangerous than Al-Qaeda and ISIS. This was no exaggeration but a prescient truth, [precisely] because the [MB] organization does not knock on doors with explosives but rather with legal documents and media platforms. It infiltrates [societies] as a [charitable] association and spreads as an ideology, and when the times comes it produces from its ranks the one who squeezes the trigger. "Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan did not just warn about the [MB] ideology, but explicitly noted that hosting political Islam organizations in the West under the slogan of freedom of expression and democracy would turn these [Western] countries into incubators of terrorist, hate-filled discourse. This is exactly what we are seeing today, when shots are fired in the heart of the American capital in the name of a highjacked cause and a polluted ideology. "The West did not take this warning seriously. It counted on the 'moderation' of the [MB's] discourse, while [the latter] built its networks within [the West's] institutions. The biggest mistake was and remains the false distinction between the 'moderate MB' and the 'extremist Islamists' – [for] they are all products of the same text, even if [their] executive mechanisms are different. "The event in Washington was not surprising. On the contrary, it was only a matter of time. The failure to pass deterrent laws that prohibit the activity of the MB and of the [other] streams of political Islam is the biggest problem, not only in the U.S. but in all the countries that have yet to acknowledge that the battle is not only against armed terrorism but [also] against the soft terrorism that starts with incitement and ends in bloodshed. "France began to comprehend this too late, but today it understands and sees the MB as a key threat to its security. It monitors its financing, limits its activity in its low-income neighborhoods and realizes that permitting its presence in the name of democracy means the systematic dismantling of the Republic itself. As for Washington, it is still in a state of shock: it suffices with condemnations following every [violent] event and then goes back to nurturing these groups that preach violence under the cover of freedom [of expression]. "During his first term in office, president [Donald] Trump came close to designating the MB as a terrorist organization, but the decision was held up by the red tape of the deep state and the opposition of pressure groups and media circles. Today, with his return to the White House, the opportunity is back. "This is where the true role of the moderate Arab countries comes in, and we must not miss this opportunity again. The coordination with the Trump administration must go far beyond a security alliance or the exchange of information. We are at a political juncture that allows [us] to incriminate the MB on a global scale, dry up its ideological wellsprings and expose its continent-spanning financing network. "[Today], after the shooting in Washington, the situation must change. There is no longer any justification for legal tolerance or political leniency toward the lighthouses of inciting ideology. There is choice but to wage an ideological, legal, security and media struggle against all those who claim a monopoly on Islam in order to establish their caliphate over the [spilled] blood of Jews, Christians and the Muslims themselves. "This article is not a cry of fury but a repeated warning for those who have not yet woken up. Whoever fails to see that the threat of political Islam has become tangible, deadly and present in the streets of the Western capitals must be blind or in collusion [with the MB]. The shooting at the Jewish Museum will not be the last. It is just a reminder that the fire is still burning and that we are living with a ticking bomb that does not explode only when its sound is heard but when we are silent for too long and fail to prevent it [from exploding]."
Memri
24-02-2025
- Politics
- Memri
Emirati Columnist: Khamenei's Boasting About A Hamas Victory Over Israel Is A Distortion Of The Facts; Iran Is The One That Should Rebuild Gaza
In his January 30, 2025 column in the Emirati daily Al-Arab , which is based in London, Yemeni journalist Hani Salem Mashour mocks Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei for boasting about the "victory" of the resistance axis over Israel and the "steadfastness" of the Palestinian people when the images from the devastated Gaza Strip reflect a completely different reality. He writes that Khamenei exploited the Palestinian cause to strengthen Iran's regional status, and therefore he is the one that should be primarily responsible for rebuilding Gaza and aiding its residents, who paid a high price for the disastrous war waged in their name. Mashour also castigates Hamas' officials, who did not consider the likely consequences of the October 7, 2023 attack and did not provide the people of Gaza with the minimal protection, but instead used them as human shields while they themselves stayed far away from the war zone. [1] Hani Salem Mashour (Source: Al-Arab , London) The following are translated excerpts from his column: [2] "On his account on the American [social media] platform X, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei keeps posting messages that underscore the victory of his Iranian axis in the 'Al-Aqsa Flood,' as they call it [i.e., in the war against Israel that began with the Hamas attack on October 7]. Khamenei is not the only one repeating these slogans of victory over Israel; all the political Islam organizations [namely groups affiliated with the Sunni Muslim Brotherhood movement] and their members are echoing his statements. This is another instance of consensus among the rival extremist religious schools [i.e., the Shiite and the Sunni ones], with everyone agreeing that the Israelis have been taught a painful lesson unlike anything they had experienced before. "But the humiliating sights of the Palestinian people returning [to the northern Gaza Strip] after being displaced to the south and after Hamas surrendered and agreed to a lull and a ceasefire are the only ones that reflect the truth and cannot be refuted. Hundreds of thousands of hungry and frightened [Gazans] are returning to the ruins of their homes. That is the picture Khamenei must be honest about when he sees it and follows it, as the entire world is doing. "What Khamenei called 'the steadfastness of the Palestinian people' is actually hunger, fear and pain without end. There is no such thing as steadfastness amid this Israeli attack. The Hamas officials who carried out the October 7, 2023 attack didn't bother to consider the fate of hundreds of thousands of unarmed civilians. They did not build them shelters or provide them with the minimal [amount of] food or [water to] drink. They did not even provide them with secure routes to flee from the war zones. On the contrary. Hamas' officials turned the civilians into human shields, as usual, in accordance with the fatwas of Ibn Taymiyyah, his disciples and his followers… [3] "The Al-Jazeera news channel, which always claims that Hamas won, aired a detailed report titled 'The Immense Challenge of Rebuilding the Gaza Strip – Facts and Figures,' which claimed that 'clearing over 50 million tons of rubble left behind by the Israeli bombardment could take 21 years and cost $1.2 billion.' According to UN estimates, the overall cost of rebuilding what the war has destroyed comes to $40 billion, and it will take 80 years to rebuild all the housing units that have been destroyed. A report issued by the UN and the World Bank noted that [the cost of] damage to infrastructure [as of] January 2024 was estimated at around $18.5 billion, and that homes, commercial and industrial buildings and basic services like education, health and energy had been destroyed. "That is [only] part of the reality in the Gaza Strip, and that is what takes us back to Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, who is the first and last [figure] responsible for repairing [the damage] caused by the October 7 attack, which he welcomed and supported… There is no denying that the Palestinian people is paying a very heavy price for the conflicts waged in its name and in the name of its cause, while [Hamas'] political and military leaders remain far away from the weight of the daily suffering borne by the civilians [in Gaza]. "It seems that Khamenei, who espouses a religious and political discourse that is based on exploiting the Palestinian cause to increase Iran's regional influence, is [also] very far removed from the reality in Gaza. He brandishes slogans of victory while ignoring the immense devastation caused to infrastructure and to the daily lives of the Palestinians. Talking about 'steadfastness' and 'victory' in these circumstances seems like an attempt to beautify the grim picture of thousands of [Gazans] still suffering from a shortage of food, water and medicines and living in tragic humanitarian conditions. "Clearly, the Iranian discourse represented by Khamenei is based on a long-standing strategy of exploiting the Palestinian cause as a means to strengthen Iran's standing as a regional power, but it appears that this strategy totally ignores the tremendous human price paid by the Palestinian people. Because, while declaring its support for Hamas and adopting the discourse of resistance, Iran does not present real solutions for the suffering of the Palestinians and doesn't appear to be prepared to assume responsibility for the reconstruction of what was destroyed in the war. "What is happening in Gaza is a human tragedy in the full sense of the word. The discourse about empty victories does not alter the fact that the Palestinian people suffer on a daily basis from the implications of a conflict whose conclusion is not visible on the horizon. Khamenei, and anyone who pretends to support the Palestinian cause, is obliged to perceive reality clearly and take action to assume responsibility for the rehabilitation of Gaza. As for the Arab capitals, cities and villages that were pulverized on what Hassan Nasrallah referred to as "the road to Jerusalem" – they will be rebuilt by their people, [first of all by] Beirut, which has begun to throw off the dust of illusion and to strengthen its homeland anew after it was usurped by rotten religious ideologies… "Khamenei must also rehabilitate Gaza in order to thwart the plan of American President Donald Trump to exile its residents. This begs the question: Will Khamenei dare to declare overall responsibility for the rehabilitation of Gaza, as he declared his support for Hamas and for the October 7 attack? Or will Iran suffice, as it always does, with disseminating slogans of resistance and leave the Palestinians to cope alone with the catastrophic consequences that can only be described as a 'victory' by people who are accustomed to falsifying facts [?] "The time has come to redefine the concept of 'victory' – not from the perspective of hollow political slogans, but based on the reality of the peoples that have paid the price. Gaza's fate will not be determined by Khamenei's slogans or by his posts on X, but by the will of its residents, who must ask themselves: how many [more] times will they pay the price for the 'flood' that drowned, starved, and humiliated them [?]" [1] Mashour has attacked Hamas in previous columns as well. See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 10919, Columnist In UAE Daily: Hamas, A Muslim Brotherhood Faction, Seeks To Topple Arab Countries And Revive The Caliphate; It Does Not Represent The Palestinians And Has No Right To Embroil Them In Wars, October 31, 2023; and MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 11492, Columnist For Emirati Daily: Hamas, Like Other Terror Organizations, Commits Crimes Against Humanity; Yahya Sinwar Should Be Prosecuted, August 8, 2024. [2] Al-Arab (London), January 30, 2025. [3] Taqi Al-Din Ahmad Ibn Taymiyyah, a 14th century Sunni religious scholar, is a major source of authority for the jihadi-Salafist current of Islam.
