From Damascus to Amman, and from Beirut to Baghdad: Arab states fear an escalation of the conflict between Israel and Iran. In Kuwait, they are even ready with action plans in case of increased radiation.
People in Beirut, Baghdad and Damascus are worried that a new conflict has broken out in their immediate vicinity. While Iran and Israel are exchanging blows, Arab states, acting as observers, fear an escalation of the conflict, notes German public broadcaster ARD.
They strongly condemn Israeli attacks
The Arab states strongly condemned the Israeli attack on Iran and described it as a violation of the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic in violation of international law. Their declarations stand in stark contrast to the declaration of the G7 countries, which emphasizes Israel's right to self-defense and presents Iran as the main culprit for instability and terror.
ARD also writes that the wording is impressive: Jordan and Qatar emphasize their friendship with Iran, and Saudi Arabia even defines the Islamic Republic as a brotherly state. The old feuds between the Sunni-majority Gulf states and Shiite Iran have receded into the background over the past two years.
Egyptian political scientist Mustafa Kamel Sayed told German public media: "All Gulf states now have good relations with Iran. Despite their closeness to the US, in the current conflict they are actually more on Iran's side, as they do not approve of Israel's approach and do not want one country to dominate the entire region".
Fears among Iran's allies
However, the friendly tone towards the government in Tehran is accompanied by concerns that Iran could spread the conflict to Arab countries with the help of the militias it supports. The Houthis in Yemen have already fired missiles in the direction of Israel. Hezbollah in Lebanon and Shiite militias in Iraq have so far been more restrained.
In direct talks with the Iranian government, the foreign ministers of many Arab countries have insisted that this restraint be maintained, ARD notes. They fear that an attack by Shiite militias in Iraq on American military bases could provoke the United States to intervene directly in the conflict - and this would destabilize the region even more.
There are also great fears that the conflict between Israel and Iran will block trade routes in the region - the airspace over countries such as Iraq, Jordan, Syria or Lebanon is now temporarily, but completely blocked. Indications from Iran that it is considering closing the Strait of Hormuz are worrying the Persian Gulf states. About 20 percent of the world's oil exports pass through there, ARD recalls. The closure would be costly for both the Gulf states and the global economy.
Energy expert Gaurav Sharma told German public media that Iran is capable of taking this step, but he does not consider it likely, not least because blocking the strait would also hinder Iranian exports to China.
Kuwait is concerned that the possible consequences of Israeli attacks on Iran could quickly reach Kuwait. For example, action plans have been drawn up for how hospitals would react to radioactivity if Israel attacked the Iranian nuclear power plant in Bushehr - it is only 300 km by air from Kuwait.
Will stability be preserved?
The biggest concern for Arab countries, however, is the ongoing regional instability, ARD points out. On the one hand, mostly authoritarian regimes are skeptical of any change and see it as a potential threat to their own power. On the other hand, hints from Israel that the overthrow of the Iranian regime is conceivable bring back dark memories. The US invasion of Iraq in 2003 led to a regime change in Baghdad, and the consequences were civil war, chaos and the rise of the terrorist organization "Islamic State" (IS).
Against this backdrop, over 20 Arab and other Islamic countries have called in a joint declaration for de-escalation, for negotiations with the aim of achieving a comprehensive ceasefire. It also insists on turning the entire Middle East into a zone free of nuclear weapons. This would include Israel. The paradox is that nuclear power Pakistan has also signed the declaration.