Middle East Press On: Saudis, Nuclear, White House, Arab, Martyrdom: New Age Islam's Selection, 18 November 2025
By New Age Islam Edit Desk
18 November 2025
Will The Saudis Raise The Palestinian Question In The White House?
Destroying Iran’s Nuclear Ambition Didn’t End Threat, But Expanded It Throughout Region
‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Aliyah: All Different Kinds Of Jews Are Welcome In Israel
Israel Risks Lagging Behind As Arab Neighbours Deepen US Ties At Our Expense
Haidar Eid’s ‘Tel El-Hawa’: A Song of Melancholy, Sorrow, and Martyrdom!
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Will The Saudis Raise The Palestinian Question In The White House?
By Zalman Shoval
November 17, 2025
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visits the White House today for a meeting that will considerably impact Saudi Arabia’s role in the Middle East, the future of US President Donald Trump’s plans for the region, and political prospects for Israel.
The immediate issue is the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, but in concrete terms, the meeting will revolve around the question of whether this will be a formula based on Saudi Arabia and the UAE or on the Muslim Brotherhood-associated Turkey and Qatar.
While the reconstruction of Gaza is the initial item on the agenda, its implications will be far-reaching, encompassing the very future of the Middle East, including Israel’s place therein.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE are making their participation in the reconstruction process conditional on a stable and ongoing ceasefire, Israel’s gradual withdrawal from most of Gaza, the elimination of Hamas, and granting governance functions in the enclave to the Palestinian Authority or another body with international legitimacy.
Part of these terms could, in principle, be acceptable to Israel, apart from giving the Palestinian Authority a role in governing.
Eighty years of US-Saudi relations
While Gaza will be the opening item, it is clear that the wider subject of the Middle East and relations between Riyadh and Washington will also be addressed. The saga of the relationship started on February 14, 1945, a few months before the end of the Second World War, when, on the deck of the USS Quincy docking in the Suez Canal, US president Franklin D. Roosevelt met with Ibn Saud, the Saudi king and leader of the dynasty that still rules the country.
Ibn Saud, like David Ben-Gurion at the time, had reached the conclusion that Britain’s days in the region were numbered and that America would be the dominant power in the Middle East and the world in general and acted accordingly. The matter at hand was Saudi oil in exchange for American security, and the essential elements of this have remained largely in place to this day, except for a relatively short period following the murder of Saudi journalist and regime opponent Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
The topic of Palestine also came up at the initiative of Roosevelt, but after the Saudi king expressed strong opposition to the very idea of a national Jewish home, the president promised that the US would take no action that could be construed as hostile to the Arabs and would not support the establishment of a Jewish state contrary to the wishes of the Arabs.
This commitment was also a response to a possible initiative by British prime minister Winston Churchill to shape a regional arrangement for the Middle East to include a Jewish state. It was only the death of Roosevelt and his replacement by Harry Truman that eventually changed US attitudes in this respect.
Saudi Arabia's demands
Much has changed in the last 80 years with regard to America, Saudi Arabia, and Israel. The State of Israel is here to stay, and though the US is still a major superpower, it is not the only one. Moreover, a new threat has emerged in the Middle East that is hostile to both the Arab states and Israel, namely, a nuclear Iran.
One of the main aims of Hamas and its Iranian patron on October 7, whether or not there was full coordination of actions and timing, was to block the moves led by the United States toward a regional integration to include Israel, in which Saudi Arabia was to play the leading role. They succeeded in blocking it, at least temporarily, but Israel’s actions against Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran itself, combined with President Trump’s initiatives, have the potential to reignite the process, perhaps with even greater momentum.
Saudi Arabia is a key player not only due to its political, religious, and economic weight but also because of its closeness to the US. It also made requests of America that do not directly relate to Israel but could affect it negatively in the future, such as the sale of advanced military technology, including F-35 planes, a mutual defense pact, and perhaps even the enrichment of uranium “for peaceful purposes.”
Though Saudi Arabia is not currently considered a military factor of great weight – in the First Gulf War it was said that seated behind every Saudi pilot was an American pilot acting like a driving teacher – but things can change.
In any case, satisfying these Saudi demands, or even some of them, and ignoring the diplomatic and political results originally intended by the US would be a serious step backward. Responding to the Saudi demands is also bound to encounter difficulties in Congress, which, in spite of the growing hostility toward Israel on the Left of the Democratic Party and parts of the extreme Right of the Republican Party, does not see Saudi Arabia and its leader as particularly positive elements.
The Palestinian issue
A further hindrance is the Palestinian issue. With respect to the Abraham Accords with the UAE, this was less of a problem since the region subscribed to the view of Trump and Netanyahu that an overall Arab-Israel peace would help resolve this dilemma, but Saudi Arabia, both domestically and externally, occupies a unique position deriving from its status in the Arab and Sunni Muslim world and from the pro-Palestinian sentiments among its population.
As bin Salman told an American diplomat in 2021: “Am I personally particularly concerned by the Palestinian issue? The answer is no, but for my people, it is yes.”
Still, and perhaps more significantly, he and the younger pragmatic class in his country are aware of the threats to their goals posed by the Muslim Brotherhood and its cohorts, and that may ultimately play the larger role in their decisions not only regarding the future of the Gaza Strip but, more importantly, a regional settlement under an American security umbrella.
The Palestinian problem will require formulas that Israel will also have to consider, though, without abandoning its fundamental security and general concerns. MBS probably understands that regional integration without Israel will fail to achieve the scientific, technological, and economic goals he has set for his country and the regime as a whole; thus, he will try to proceed with normalization with Israel, albeit cautiously and gradually.
One should not expect answers to all these questions right after the White House meeting, but there may perhaps be indications as to future directions.
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-874176
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Destroying Iran’s Nuclear Ambition Didn’t End Threat, But Expanded It Throughout Region
By Jpost Editorial
November 18, 2025
Iran has finally admitted what Israeli intelligence and aircrews already knew: Five months after the June war with Israel, its fleet of about 20,000 centrifuges is in ruins, and uranium enrichment has stopped.
An Iranian official has publicly said there is currently no enrichment going on. In a place where everyone lies and spins, this is an amazing admission of strategic failure by Tehran. The damage is more than just skin-deep.
According to an analysis by The Jerusalem Post’s Yonah Jeremy BobOpens link in new window., Israel and the US destroyed Tehran’s nuclear facilities so completely, and left so much rubble on top of them, that the regime has basically given up on fixing its old infrastructure.
Iran is planning new, deeper facilities that will take years to build and cost billions of dollars. It won’t be able to dig up buried plants. Right now, its stock of 60%-enriched uranium is stuck on the shelf.
This is a real achievement for Israel and the West, even if it’s not loud. For a long time, the world said there was “no military solution” to Iran’s nuclear program. June’s Operation Rising Lion showed that a determined and coordinated effort could set the program back by a lot. But it would be a big mistake for Israel or its neighbors to think that this is the end of the threat from Iran.
Bob’s analysis makes it clear that the nuclear issue may not be the most important threat right now. The main one is a stockpile of ballistic missiles that is growing quickly.
Before the June operation, Israeli intelligence thought Iran had about 2,500 ballistic missiles. If Jerusalem hadn’t done anything, that number was expected to more than double to 6,000 by 2026 and maybe even 10,000 by early 2028. They are just as much of a threat to Sunni Arab capitals and energy infrastructure across the Gulf as they are to Tel Aviv and Haifa.
Since June, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei seems to have come to the conclusion that he can’t beat Israel in a direct confrontation. He is now focusing on competing with Sunni Arab states for power in the region. At the same time, he is rebuilding the missile and radar systems that Israel destroyed, but this time without the protection of an active nuclear program.
Next steps to be taken against Iran
In practice, this means a few things. Israel, the Gulf states, Egypt, and Jordan should first move from coordinating their air- and missile-defense systems on an ad-hoc basis to a fully integrated system. This would include shared early warning, joint radar coverage, and clear rules for how to respond to mass launches.
Second, they should share more information about Iranian production sites, supply routes, and testing activities – and consider an attack on one as a warning to all.
Third, they should come up with a common diplomatic message that makes it clear to Tehran that any large-scale missile attack on one capital will be seen as an attack on the whole region.
The places that are most threatened by Iranian missiles are those that are closest to it, such as Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, Manama, Cairo, Amman, and Jerusalem. They have to be the ones to say that the time of separate, bilateral agreements is over, and that a regional security community is forming to deal with a clear and present danger.
Today, Khamenei seems to be more motivated by hurt pride and a desire for revenge after the humiliation in June and the loss of many of his closest advisers than by rational cost-benefit calculations. When leaders in the Middle East fight “honor” in wars they can’t win, history shows what can happen.
In 1973, Egypt and Syria did not beat Israel, but they did cause a lot of damage on all sides before they were pushed back. A future mass missile exchange with Iran would make those deaths seem small by comparison.
The lesson from Iran’s nuclear failure is not that the threat is gone. Firm action, clear redlines, and support from other countries in the region can all affect Tehran’s decisions.
The same Iranian missile threat now faces both Israel and the Sunni Arab states. The sooner they act like it, the better chance they have of stopping the next war, which would be much worse.
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-874236
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‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Aliyah: All Different Kinds Of Jews Are Welcome In Israel
By Cookie Schwaeber-Issan
November 18, 2025
It was back in 1994 when then-US president Bill Clinton enacted the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, allowing for military recruits to not openly disclose their sexual orientation, a revelation that would have otherwise precluded them from serving in the military.
Today, this same policy could save Diaspora Jews, who have begun to feel as if their countries are no longer safe. As many consider a move to the Jewish homeland, Israel must prepare to receive their sons and daughters “as they are,” rather than as the people whom they would like them to be.
At a time when we are witnessing the worst wave of global antisemitism since the HolocaustOpens link in new window., even affecting both totally assimilated, non-observant Jews, there is an unacceptable and antagonistic attitude present in Israel’s Interior Ministry, discriminating against Jews who are not connected to the faith or even their community.
Relevant during persecution
But is that relevant at a time when they are being persecuted just because of their shared ethnicity? Every Jew, regardless of their personal beliefs or orientation, should be guaranteed a safe refuge in the State of Israel. Nevertheless, that is not necessarily the case.
Upon applying for citizenship, whether through the Jewish Agency abroad or here in Israel, there is an immediate demand for an official letter to be presented from a rabbi who can speak on behalf of the individual applying for citizenship, guaranteeing that this person is a Jew in good standing. But is there really such a thing?
A Jew is a Jew, simply because they were born that way. Under the 1950 Law of ReturnOpens link in new window., eligibility for citizenship is extended even to those who only have one Jewish grandparent. So why should personal beliefs or lack of synagogue affiliation be divulged as if entrance to one’s ancestral homeland is dependent upon those things?
Judging Jews
For now, the Interior MinistryOpens link in new window. is operating on the orders of the ultra-Orthodox segment of the country’s religious and political leaders, whose policy is to deny citizenship to those they deem to be “undeserving Jews.”
They include those who are assimilated, intermarried, unable to provide the requisite rabbinical letter due to having no synagogue affiliation, or those who may believe in another faith. Nonetheless, their ethnicity is unchangeable.
In America alone, that number is likely to be in the hundreds of thousands, if not more. Will Israel abandon them, leaving them to face threats and persecution already happening? If so, how could Israel claim moral superiority to those countries that turned away boatloadsOpens link in new window. of Jews fleeing Nazi Europe?
Leaving them to languish in hostile communities is not, in any way, consistent with Jewish values of saving lives at all costs – even to the point of breaking Shabbat.
No acid test
The reality is that most Jews don’t identify with the Orthodox or think like them, but should the Interior Ministry arbitrarily disqualify them as Jews?
Religious observance or synagogue affiliation cannot be the acid test of who is a JewOpens link in new window., and that is why a “Don’t ask, don’t tell” aliyah policy should be adopted. If a Jew can produce documents showing at least one Jewish grandparent, automatic citizenship should be granted, just as the law states.
Let’s not forget that secular, native-born Israelis, who are mostly unobservant, are never questioned about their right to be here, so why single out those who were born abroad? Yet, many have been turned away and sent back home when bureaucrats doubted their commitment to Judaism.
This antiquated and prejudicial immigration practice must be changed because the world has changed.
There should be no prying into private areas of prospective immigrants if they can provide proof of Jewish ethnicity by birth.
Anything else is an invasion of privacy and a deliberate roadblock to accessing a safe refuge during the scariest moment for Jews in more than 80 years.
NYC: Most Jews' home
The recent victory of a radical Muslim mayorOpens link in new window. in New York, home to more Jews than any other in the world, including Jerusalem or Tel Aviv, has to be considered a frightening harbinger of what’s coming. When he cannot denounce the deadly phrase, “Globalize the Intifada,” or threatens to arrest Israel’s prime minister, should he step foot in New York, that’s a bad sign for Jews.
How long will it be before he completely disenfranchises all Jews doing business with Israel, either directly or indirectly? Where will they go when he puts an end to their livelihood? And let’s not kid ourselves – he’s not the only one of his type. Other American and European cities are seeing an upsurge of MuslimsOpens link in new window. coming into power. Will they follow suit and also discriminate against Jews?
You don’t have to dress like an observant Jew in order to be vulnerable to attack. Just enter a Jewish institution or event, and your risk rises significantly.
Israel was never on their radar
With the influx of millions of illegals, many of whom are Muslim terroristsOpens link in new window. whose goal is to wreak havoc in Western communities, a non-observant Jew just might feel that living in Israel, where the military is committed solely to the safety of Jews, is something that is appealing at this moment in time.
And while they may not be seeking to immigrate for the reasons many have – to connect more closely to their people, their faith or the land, those things will inevitably result, because it’s unavoidable. They will come to realize that life in Israel is so much more fulfilling and meaningful.
Confronted with the incomparable experiences of Friday night family dinners, lighting Shabbat candles and joining their fellow countrymen in ushering a real day of rest, these things will only serve to deepen their Jewish identity, not further alienate them.
Israel was never on their radar because no one ever thought that Jews would, yet again, be faced with the unjustified hostility experienced by their relatives who are already several generations removed from them.
Their mistake was settling in and taking for granted that those toxic sentiments would not emerge in their lifetime. Now that they have, we cannot be indifferent to their situation.
They have a refuge – if only the gatekeepers will let them in. That can only happen with a “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, because no one needs to know anything beyond their bloodline. Turning them away is not who we are, nor whom we should ever be!
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-874183
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Israel Risks Lagging Behind As Arab Neighbours Deepen US Ties At Our Expense
By Jason Silverman
November 17, 2025
Israel finds itself, once again, in a dramatic week that has the potential to further reshape regional affairs in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) is set to embark on a highly anticipated visit to Washington, DCOpens link in new window., today to meet with US President Donald Trump.
There are two main issues expected to be raised during the meeting, concerning Israel and affecting the regional balance of power. The first is Saudi Arabia’s desire for security guarantees, whether an official defense pact – a less likely scenario since this would require US congressional approval – or a presidential executive order that frames Riyadh’s security as a US national security interest, similar to what Qatar received just a few months ago. The second is Saudi Arabia’s request to purchase F-35 fighter jets.Opens link in new window.
Detrimental security implications
If approved, both have detrimental security implications for Israel.
Israel would essentially lose its qualitative military edge in the region - a cornerstone of US security commitments to Israel since 1968. In addition, this will constitute the second regional power with official security guarantees from the US, while Israel has yet to receive a similar guarantee. This illustrates the continuation of Trump’s foreign policy inclination to prioritize the Gulf countriesOpens link in new window., with Israel assuming a less central role.
Despite these stark disadvantages to Israel, Jerusalem signaled that it would agree to Saudi Arabia’s purchase of F-35 jets in return for a normalization agreement. However, for Riyadh to agree to normalization, it has continuously demanded a clear pathway to Palestinian statehood without, of course, detailing exactly what that entails.
Interestingly, in the most recently published US-led UN Security Council draft on GazaOpens link in new window., there is a specific clause that includes a pathway to Palestinian statehood. Perhaps this was recently added in order to create the necessary conditions to sway Saudi agreement to normalization.
If that is indeed the case, Israel might be facing a substantial strategic opportunity. Normalization would be a landmark accomplishment for Israel and perhaps its greatest diplomatic accomplishment since the war began. It would communicate a clear message that even a heinous act such as Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7 will not derail progress on Israel’s integration in the region. Normalization is Israel’s ultimate win over extremist elements in the region.
Is the opportunity in jeopardy?
Will the Israeli government jeopardize the opportunity? The current Israeli government is communicating an incoherent message. On the one hand, one message is that Israel is a partner in Trump’s peace planOpens link in new window. and will welcome US security guarantees for Saudi Arabia in return for normalization. On the other hand, a significant part of the Israeli government, led by Bezalel Smotrich, is pushing for increased chaos in Judea and Samaria (West Bank), which undermines Trump’s peace efforts in Gaza.
This is happening in a few ways.
Extremist settler violence against Palestinians in Judea and SamariaOpens link in new window. is increasing unabated. While the Americans expressed concern regarding rising attacks against Palestinians, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz have hardly addressed the issue. During Katz’s tenure, a critical tool for combating settler violence, administrative detention, was canceled for Israelis. According to IDF officials speaking anonymously to Israel’s Kan 11, there is an understanding from the political echelon against implementing heavy enforcement
At the same time, Smotrich is using his authority as finance minister to weaken the Palestinian Authority (PA) to the point of collapse. Last June, Smotrich ordered a cancellation of the cooperation mechanism between Israeli and Palestinian banks.
The deadline is just around the corner
The deadline is just around the corner, and its implementation would cut off the PA from the Israeli financial system. With almost complete dependency on the Israeli shekel, it would make it virtually impossible for the PA to operate economically. The inevitable result would be the collapse of the PA and ensuing chaos.
The deterioration of the situation in the West BankOpens link in new window. is not inevitable but rather an intended policy by Smotrich’s wing of the Israeli government. His policies act as a spoiler to realizing Israel’s strategic goals in the region by undermining Trump’s peace plan and causing the Israeli government to communicate an incoherent message vis-à-vis Washington.
This leaves the Israeli government in a weak position, and the result will be that Israel’s security interests will be disadvantaged without receiving anything in return. It is leading Israel toward implementing an “own goal” and lagging behind while Arab countries in the region are deepening their ties with the US at Israel’s expense.
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-874208
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Haidar Eid’s ‘Tel El-Hawa’: A Song of Melancholy, Sorrow, and Martyrdom!
By Haidar Eid
November 17, 2025
The genocide in Gaza necessitates a reflection and reordering of priorities. This requires us to agree on the importance of confronting the systematic strategies of erasure practiced by the Zionist, settler-colonial project and its allies. These strategies target not only lives but also infrastructure, heritage, identity, language, and arts. One of the many challenges the genocide has posed is a cultural one. Confronting strategies of genocidal erasure must be a collective effort in which art must play a role.
The ever-nagging question is whether words have the power to reflect reality? A genocidal reality in our case, one in which the artists themselves are involved. I, personally, spent the first two months of the genocide in Gaza witnessing THE HORROR.
I lived in the Tel El-Hawa/Southern Remal suburb. I know every single street there, and most of the faces of its people are very familiar. When I left it on the third day of the genocide, holding my ID card and wearing a dirty T-shirt and slippers, I never thought I would not be allowed to go back. I never imagined that the genocidaires would destroy my Tel El-Hawa, my bakeries, my Kunafa shop, my University, my kids’ school, my streets, and kill many of the people I loved so much!
Ehab Lotayef, my Canadian-Egyptian friend who once visited Tel El-Hawa, was devastated upon hearing about its destruction. Like any other poet, he used his talent to fight back! He wrote a poem and sent it to me via WhatsApp. It ignited a flame in my guts! I shared it with another Gazan, Reziq Juju. He had lost his home and had managed to move to Oman. Reziq is a talented musician and poet. He immediately asked me if I wanted to sing it because “it is the kind that is suitable for your voice.” He volunteered to work on the melody. Ehab loved the idea.
Lyrics written in Canada by an extremely talented Canadian-Egyptian poet who manages to capture the quintessential existential questions raised by the Palestinians of Gaza, and residents of Tel El-Hawa; the melody by the gifted Palestinian musician who was born and raised in Gaza but forced to leave for Muscat after losing his home and studio. The song itself was recorded in Johannesburg, the site of horrific crimes against humanity, but also of resilience and resistance.
My new song, Tel El-Hawa, is a meditation about what it means to be a Gazan in a world ruled by genocidaires; it is an expression of our distrust of universalized narratives of “human rights” and liberal “humanism”; a cry for justice in an unjust world.
Unlike any other song, my voice broke more than once while practicing the second couplet/ stanza.
https://www.palestinechronicle.com/haidar-eids-tel-el-hawa-a-song-of-melancholy-sorrow-and-martyrdom/
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