Israel Palestine Conflict: Implications of the Political Dynamics in the GCC

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume IV, Issue XII, December 2020 | ISSN 2454–6186

Israel Palestine Conflict: Implications of the Political Dynamics in the GCC

Moyosore Olalekan Mohammed, Abdullahi Ayoade Ahmad

Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Faculty of Law & International Relations

Abstract: This study examines the Israel-Palestine conflict with regards to the political dynamics in the Gulf Cooperation Council. Especially issue that deals with the GCC new diplomatic relation with Israel and its implication. Strategically, Israel has been able to gain much rapport with the GCC states as such alliance have successfully tied their security interest and concern towards Iran as a regional foe. On the other hand, Palestinian perceived such development as counterproductive for her political cause as Israel remains and occupying power in the Palestinian territories. Apparently, Israel is using the Palestinian plight as a leverage to increase its relations with the Arab monarchs as the GCC states also encountered overlapping interest with regards to their policy towards Israel and Palestine. The study argues that the relations between Israel and the GCC states will continue to flourish as the latter becomes more dependent on the former in the area of economic and regional security interest. Also, Palestinian would hold a negative perception of the GCC with regards to her national interest. It therefore recommends that the GCC states should imbibe a collective policy towards the Palestinian interest and resolve the crisis within the in order to enjoy relative peace and regional stability.

Keywords: Conflict, Diplomatic relations, Political dynamics, Cooperation, Normalization

I. Introduction

Globally, the Israel-Palestine conflict stand as a major issue, specifically when looking at the relations between the West and the Islamic world [Rane, 2009]. It also remains a strategic issue and a protracted war undermining peace, security and political stability in the modern history of the Middle East, apparently since the aftermath of World War II [Baranovich & Moorthy, 2020; Okechukwu, 2018]. Especially, political stability in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and the success of the Arab unity. This conflict which emerged since 1948 has been identified as a milestone event in the political affairs of the Arabs, the GCC states in her relation with Israel. Indeed, after several years of war and failed peace efforts since the United Nations General Assembly resolution 181 in 1947 [Amina, 2019; Demirel, 2006] the Zionist Jews appear to have systematically dominated the Arab – enshrined in their age long nationalistic ambition resulting to the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian [Pappé 2019; 2014].
In recent years however, what became a priority for the Palestinian is to achieve their long awaited national aspiration of a sovereign ‘State’. To the Israeli, the survival of her state against the continuous resistance from its Arab neighbors, thereby aspiring for the status of a regional leader tying up the equation of self-determination and state security between both actors [Frimer, Maoz, & Ron, 2020].

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