When the heads of state of Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement last week, many were left wondering which country or countries this agreement was formed against. Clearly the move indicates that significant changes are taking place in this region in the wake of the Iran war and Israeli genocide in Palestine, however the true intent of the agreement and its future implications remain to be seen.
The Jerusalem Post’s coverage included interviews with a couple of different analysts to get their views on the development. Emirati researcher and foreign policy expert Huda Albadi dismissed the agreement as “a paper tiger” and argued that its significance is largely the shift toward seeing Israel, not Iran, as the main threat to the region—a posture which she called “delusional.” It’s worth noting that, while Saudi Arabia has been walking a tightrope when it comes to its relationship with Israel, both Turkiye and Pakistan have been outspoken in defense of Palestinians and in their criticism of the Netanyahu regime in Israel.
