Will More Muslim-Majority Countries Abandon Palestine? - ICYMI
From Saudi Arabia to Pakistan, normalization with Israel would be a huge geopolitical reward for an apartheid state and its genocidal war.
Editor’s note: As Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visited the White House this week, potential normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia was front of mind. Donald Trump said he wouldn’t use the “word commitment,” but hinted that MBS had a “very good feeling toward the Abraham Accords.” MBS confirmed his kingdom wants to be part of the accords, but insisted there must be a secure “clear path [to a] two-state solution” for Israel-Palestine.
The US push for Saudi Arabia and other Muslim-majority countries to join the Abraham Accords, even as Israel blatantly violates the so-called ceasefire in Gaza, makes Fatima Bhutto’s piece, first published last week ahead of MBS’s visit, all the more important. That’s why we are republishing it today, below, in case you missed it last week.
The announcement was teased in the manner of a reality television reveal. Who would the Bachelor hand a rose to? Which contestant would be going home? And who would be joining the Abraham Accords, enjoying peace (theoretically!) with Israel? The world held its breath until the following morning when we were told it was…Kazakhstan.
It was a peculiar announcement. Recognizing a country in the middle of its ongoing genocide of Gaza would seem to be rewarding the rogue state that has engaged in endless, live-streamed slaughter over the last 25 months. But this was made stranger by the fact that Kazakhstan has recognized Israel since 1992 and is one of Israel’s energy suppliers. As such, telling us what they did 33 years ago doesn’t really qualify as “news,” but regardless, Kazakhstan will now be the fourth member – alongside the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco – to formally join the accords. The move was hailed by President Donald Trump, who threatened on Truth Social that “there are many more countries trying to join this club of STRENGTH.”