Arab Monarchies Condemn Hamas: A Clash of Conservatism and Revolution Threatens Regional Stability

By Fidel Amakye Owusu

Kindly, you may want to know what the monarchs in the region think about recent assassinations. Kindly, take another read of this. Note: regardless they want a stable region.

“Hamas represents an ‘antithesis’ to Middle Eastern monarchy: the monarchs are not happy with it.

1. For so many years Klemens von Metternich was a bulwark of European conservatism. He opposed and, in some instances, reversed the ideas and gains of the revolutionaries.

2. Taking their inspiration from the French Revolution of 1789, Europe was awash in revolutionary euphoria that sought to change the established system. Representing the Habsburgs, Metternich wanted none of that.

3. Any revolutionary group and movement that emerged in the European political space was “proactively” quenched.

4. And so what?

5. After the heinous Hamas attacks, reactions from the Arab monarchies have often been misinterpreted by many observers, especially those who are not so conversant with the politics of the region.

5. Saudi Arabia has issued what looks like a strongly worded statement asking Israel to restore the amenities it has cut off. It went further to ask Israel to stop the bombardment of Gaza. The UAE has donated millions in humanitarian aid. Jordan, Kuwait and Oman have expressed similar concerns.

6. Despite these, the monarchies in the region are in no way supporting the action of Hamas. More complex, they may abhor the group as much as the politicians in Israel do.

7. How is that?

8. Firstly, Hamas is a product of and connected to the revolutionary elements in the region. The Arab monarchs are not happy about that. They see the group as representing the interest of Iran and Hezbollah–leaders of the antithesis against the monarchies.

9. In the 1950s and 1960s Egypt under Gamal Nasser was seen by the monarchies as a force that sought to undo their leadership, after the overthrow of the Egyptian monarchy. It would take a while for the monarchs to accept Egypt the way it had become. Currently, Egypt belongs to the conservative league.

10. The rulers are not willing to allow revolutionaries or their proxies to make gains in the region. This sensitivity is more heightened after some gains by the latter in Iraq, Syria and Yemen. Saudi Arabia and other monarchies in the region would not want extra gains by the group. With Hamas’s ties to Tehran, its recent attacks are not making the monarchs comfortable.

11. This should be separated from the humanitarian concerns and support they give to the Palestinian people. The rulers know that some of the misplaced sympathies of sections of their citizens for Hamas cannot be taken for granted. This put them in a position where they have to be more nuanced with their communications on the matter. By issuing these statements, they are sending a signal that they offer the best form of leadership in the region.

12. If there is anything the monarchs are upset about, it is the intelligence failure that made this heinous crime occur.”

#mena

By Fidel Amakye Owusu – International Relations and Security Analyst and Writer

Article Reproduced with Permission from Fidel Amakye Owusu

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