Israel attacks Qatar update: More than 50 leaders of Muslim countries gathered in Doha, the capital of Qatar, for a meeting. The purpose of this meeting was to respond to the Israeli attack in Qatar on September 9th. The Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) convened this meeting.
During the meeting, a demand was raised that all Muslim countries should sever ties with Israel. Alongside this, a proposal was also put forward for the formation of a NATO-like military alliance among Arab countries. This proposal suggested that, similar to NATO, a unit from each country’s land, naval, and air forces would be kept in a complete standby mode.
Joint exercises would be conducted when necessary. Through this, if any Arab country faced an external attack, all member countries would collectively confront it.
An emergency summit of Arab and Islamic countries was indeed held in Doha. It also included a meeting of the foreign ministers of member states on September 14th. During this meeting, Egypt proposed the formation of a joint force similar to NATO. ‘The New Arab Media’ provided detailed information on this matter. According to the report, such a proposal first emerged in 2015 when the civil war in Yemen began and Houthi rebels seized control of Sana’a.
Citing ‘The National’ newspaper, the report stated that Egypt has proposed forming a NATO-like armed force, which would be presided over by the 22 countries of the Arab League on a rotating basis. Egypt would hold the first presidency as they initiated the proposal and the Arab League headquarters are also located in Egypt.
Egypt’s proposal includes establishing enhanced coordination among army, air force, and commando units, as well as integrating training, logistics, and military systems. The deployment of the military would be authorized based on consultations with member states and the military leadership. According to the Lebanese media outlet Al-Akhbar, Egypt stated in the proposal that it would contribute 20,000 troops to such a military alliance. Saudi Arabia would be the second-largest contributor in terms of cooperation.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has discussed this matter with several countries, and there is a possibility of discussing this proposal further on the sidelines of the Doha summit.
It is worth noting that Arab countries had previously formed a military alliance, but it gradually weakened and eventually dissolved. This incident occurred in 1955 when a military alliance was formed among Arab countries, known as the Baghdad Pact. Its official name was the Central Treaty Organization or CENTO.
After World War II, when the world was divided into two blocs, Arabs feared that the Soviet Union would begin to intervene in their region. This military alliance was formed to dispel this fear. It included Iraq, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, and the United Kingdom. Indirectly, they also received support from America. However, over time, the alliance weakened.
Countries like Egypt were not included in this alliance. They considered it an American conspiracy. This suspicion was further fueled because Britain, which generally had little connection with Arabs, was also involved. Eventually, due to growing disagreements among member states, this military alliance dissolved in the 1970s.
Now, discussions are once again underway regarding the formation of a military alliance among Arab countries. Egypt’s proposal is gaining support from Iraq. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al-Sudani has also called for the formation of an Islamic military alliance. In an interview with Qatar’s Al Jazeera channel, he stated that there is no reason for Muslim countries not to form a joint security force to protect themselves. He called for comprehensive partnership at political, security, and economic levels among Arab and Islamic countries.
Although discussions have begun regarding the formation of a military alliance among Arab countries, experts believe that its implementation will be very difficult. In reality, the interests of all Islamic countries are so diverse that establishing unity among them seems extremely challenging. For example, consider the relationship between Saudi Arabia and Iran. These two countries are in conflict.
If Saudi Arabia aligns with America, Iran is a staunch opponent of America. In such circumstances, their unification seems difficult. Forming a military alliance would mean that all countries share confidential information among themselves. Israel and America also cannot be ignored here. If Arab countries come very close to forming a military alliance, America will not remain silent. They are currently strengthening their position in Arab countries.
The formation of a military alliance would mean a weakening of American influence in these countries. Therefore, America will use all tactics to keep this alliance nominal. Israel will also make every effort for this. Nevertheless, Islamic countries have once again initiated the idea of a military alliance, but we will have to wait to see what its future holds.