Cairo to Riyadh: How the Arab World Really Reacted to Israel’s 12-Day War
An insider’s journey through rage, revolution, and a silent Sunni revolt
For months, I dissected the dithering of Western capitals after October 7th. But when Iranian missiles rained on Jerusalem this April, I pivoted to my own backyard – where the Arab world is weathering a geopolitical earthquake. What I uncovered in Cairo, Riyadh, and Abu Dhabi wasn’t mere policy shifts. It was a clash of civilisations unfolding in real time – one that will dictate Israel, the region and the world’s fate for decades.
The Core Narrative
Cairo: The Radicalisation Volcano
Egypt’s economic freefall + state-sanctioned propaganda since October 7th = unprecedented public fury. Streets once sceptical of Hamas now roar pro-Houthi slogans. The chilling truth? "Tehran is winning minds by weaponising despair."
Riyadh: The Quiet Revolution
Meet Saudi Arabia’s new realists – weary of ‘resistance’ profiteers and martyrdom peddlers. They see Palestinian leaders’ luxury penthouses and offshore accounts and demand: ‘Why bleed for their corruption?’ Their pragmatism isn’t just refreshing; it’s revolutionary. For the first time, an Egyptian Jew such as myself finds genuine hope at the heart of Arabia.
Abu Dhabi: The Unflappable Fortress
No hysteria. No grandstanding. Just icy pragmatism. The UAE’s message to Tehran and Washington? ‘We build skyscrapers while you launch rockets.’ Their stability isn’t accidental – it’s masterful statecraft.
The Three Camps Redefining the Middle East
"The Resistance Mob" (Egypt’s streets, Houthis, Iraqi militias)
Stance: Pro-Iran, pro-violence, virulently antisemitic
Reality Check: Cairo’s masses now cheer those strangling their own economy.
"Allah’s Arsonists" (Sunni hardliners in KSA/Egypt)
Mantra: ‘اللهم اضرب الظالمين بالظالمين’ (O Allah, set tyrants against tyrants!)
Irony: A Shia-origin prayer now twisted to invoke mutual Israel-Iran annihilation.
Brutal Truth: This isn’t piety – it’s a battle cry co-opted by Hezbollah and Tehran to sanctify chaos as divine justice.
A Lebanese man tweets in celebration as missiles rain on Israel
"The Winners’ Table" (Saudi Crown Prince, UAE royals, Gulf elites)
Creed: ‘Let them brawl – we’ll broker.’
Unvarnished Calculus: Iran threatens their sovereignty. Israel never has.
Power Centres: Riyadh’s corridors | Abu Dhabi’s sovereign funds
The Arab Street isn’t just furious – it’s fracturing. Egypt simmers. Saudi Arabia recalibrates. The UAE keeps calm and carries on. And beneath the smoke, a singular question ignites: Who inherits this burning region when the embers cool?
My money’s on Riyadh’s far-sighted dreamers and Abu Dhabi’s steady pioneers – the only players with a strategy worthy of this century.
Next in this series: The 12-days War: Egypt Rhetorically joins the Axis of Resistance!
Fascinating Khaled, thank you
If I were advising the GCC I’d counsel them to be careful not to let Egypt slip. It’s not in their interest to play an ice queen.
Turkey and Egypt have sizeable militaries and if you remember the Saudi and Emiratis were importing infantry from Sudan in the fight against the flip flop wearing Houthis in Yemen.
As you said in the Western Spirit podcast, the Turks are already making serous moves in the region and let’s face it through Qatar there is a link to Iran.
So how on earth are the GCC countries not doing their best to ensure the Sunni Block countries like Egypt and Sudan with military assets of potential use are as stable and loyal as possible because right now their policies in that region are interesting to say the least