IntelBrief: Pre-Conflict Trends in Middle East Likely to Endure After Israel-Hamas War

Bottom Line Up Front

• Most Middle Eastern leaders are trying to preserve key tenets of their policies toward Israel and the United States while appealing to popular pro-Palestinian sentiment.
• It is highly unlikely that any Arab state that has normalized relations with Israel will break relations over Israeli operations against Hamas.
• Many Arab leaders have long seen Hamas as an obstacle to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian dispute.
• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has jeopardized a year-long effort to rebuild relations with Israel by applauding Hamas’ resistance to Israel.