The Israeli-Palestinian situation has always been a sensitive issue for Arab countries. Since the 7th of
October 2023, this conflict has escalated and turned into a war in the Gaza Strip. Thus, the Arab League is now caught in a complex position between Israel and Palestine. While the Arab League has regularly issued strong diplomatic statements in support of Palestine, its actions show the complexity and limits of its influence. During the two extraordinary summits in Bahrain and Riyadh, the Arab League issued two important statements regarding the Gaza crisis. On the one hand, in the statement of the Riyadh summit, the organisation expressed its deep solidarity with the cause of Palestinian civilians. In addition, they called for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. On the other hand, during the Bahrain summit, the participants condemned the Israeli action and called for the immediate withdrawal of the Israeli military forces from Gaza. They stressed UN peacekeepers must be deployed in Gaza to protect civilians. The Arab League insists that international bodies and courts must take action against Israel for its crimes in Gaza.

However, as is reflected in public opinion among Arab states, there is a gap between what the Arab League says and what it does in practice against Israel. Although several Arab states have discussed their intentions to use oil as a strategic weapon against Israel, no serious action has been taken since the 7th of October. Internal divisions within the organisation and economic dependence on the West have become the main reasons for the Arab League’s inaction. For instance, Arab oil exporters such as Saudi Arabia are economically tied to the United States, which is a key ally of Israel. Hence, the disruption of oil exports to Israel will jeopardise their trade relations and then threaten the national economic stability of Saudi Arabia. Moreover, concerning material support, the attitude of Arab countries has been marked by deep divisions.

While some countries, such as Qatar and Algeria, have strongly supported the Palestinians with financial
and humanitarian aid, others, like Egypt and Jordan, have been more reluctant. Even though Egypt has
eased access for Palestinian refugees to the Rafah border crossing, its dependence on US military and
economic support has made it wary of taking an extreme stance against Israel.
The Arab League operates by consensus. However, the internal differences between countries due to
diverging national interests make it difficult for the Arab League to take real action on an issue as sensitive as Palestine-Israel. That’s why the League has failed to reach a consensus on an oil embargo against Israel or on joint support for Palestinian civilians.

While the Arab League uses strong rhetoric in its statements to condemn Israel’s actions and defend a
Palestinian state, its actions lag behind. But to keep its promises, the Arab League must close the gap
between its statements and its concrete efforts to deliver significant aid to Palestinian civilians and restore peace to the Middle East.