Arab World
Regional coverage across the Middle East and North Africa
Egypt moves to back Saudi defence as West Bank settler violence escalates
- Occupied Palestine and Settler Impunity: Masked Israeli settlers attacked Belgian, French, and Polish diplomats alongside Palestinian olive harvesters in Taybeh, a day after beating Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine in Abu Falah and fracturing several of her vertebrae. On Sunday, the European Union demanded immediate measures to halt the assaults and US diplomats visited Taybeh, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office drew condemnation for dismissing the attacks. In Gaza, Israeli strikes in Beit Lahia and Khan Younis killed five Palestinians, including two children, while residents buried 75 recovered bodies amid an ongoing blockade on heavy machinery that leaves an estimated 8,000 victims trapped beneath rubble.
- Arab Defence Coordination: Egypt’s National Defence Council pledged full support to defend Saudi Arabia following Houthi missile and drone attacks on Riyadh’s international airport and Saudi Aramco facilities. Egypt’s parliament convened an emergency closed session on Sunday and Monday to authorise President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to deploy forces abroad if requested by Riyadh. Concurrently, Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman met UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed in Abu Dhabi on Sunday to coordinate regional defence.
- Strait of Hormuz Impasse: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated in Baghdad on Sunday that Tehran is reviewing Washington’s response to its seven-day plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Iran offered to reopen the corridor within six days if the US lifts its naval blockade on Iranian ports, waives oil sanctions, unfreezes Iranian assets, and halts regional hostilities. Meanwhile, the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency recorded 10 vessel attacks near the strait over the past week, the highest weekly toll since the war began in February.
- MENA Fiscal Buffers and Energy Transition: Concluding the IMF and World Bank Annual Meetings, Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan—whose chairmanship of the IMF’s steering committee was extended to January 2028—said Gulf fiscal buffers and energy investments have cushioned the global economy against supply shocks. While Hormuz disruptions prompted the IMF to cut its 2026 MENA growth forecast by two percentage points and led Iraq to request IMF financing, Dubai authorities reported that operational MENA renewable capacity has reached 43.7 gigawatts alongside a 202-gigawatt project pipeline.