Overview

The Gulf Region and Israel: Old Struggles, New Alliances offers a compelling and timely examination of the shifting power dynamics in the Middle East, focusing on the evolving relationship between Israel and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states-Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)-in the context of the Trump administration's Middle East strategy. From the moment President Donald Trump took office, his foreign policy prioritized narrowing the gap between Israel and the Gulf monarchies as a central part of a broader plan to isolate Iran. His first foreign trip-to Riyadh in May 2017 for the U.S.-Arab-Islamic Summit, immediately followed by a visit to Israel-sent a powerful message: Saudi Arabia and Israel were to be the twin pillars of a new U.S. regional security architecture. Under this vision, the Trump administration aimed to build a strategic alliance consisting of Israel, Egypt, Jordan, and the six GCC states to confront Iran diplomatically, economically, and militarily. The strategy included three central planks: Regional alliance-building to encircle and contain Iran The ""Maximum Pressure"" campaign to cripple Iran's economy A renewed push to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, thereby reshaping regional alliances and setting the stage for renegotiating the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA) But instead of unity, Trump's plan met early disruption-not from Iran, but from within the Gulf bloc itself. Only weeks after the Riyadh summit, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt imposed a blockade on Qatar, fracturing the very coalition Trump hoped to solidify. Drawing on years of regional expertise and insider access, Sigurd Neubauer presents an original and incisive analysis of this crisis, exploring the underreported roles of Israel and Oman in the Qatar blockade. Neubauer challenges conventional narratives and highlights how intra-Gulf rivalries and divergent national interests shaped a Middle East realignment that culminated in the Abraham Accords. Key Themes: Trump's Middle East foreign policy and its regional consequences The internal dynamics of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Qatar blockade 2017 and its impact on regional diplomacy Israel's quiet but growing ties with Oman, UAE, and Saudi Arabia Strategic efforts to contain Iran and influence the future of the JCPOA The evolving framework for Arab-Israeli normalization The Gulf Region and Israel is essential reading for anyone interested in: U.S. foreign policy, Israel-Arab relations, and Middle East geopolitics The Abraham Accords, Iran containment, and GCC diplomacy The influence of Trump's presidency on global alliances

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