Bridging Policy and Operational Performance Across the Gulf

Israel reacted with alarm to both the U.S. decision to lift sanctions on Syria and President Trump's conference with Ahmed al-Sharaa. Because the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, Israel has actually been wary of the former jihadist now in control in Damascus.

It has likewise deployed soldiers in southern Syria, inhabiting an increasing location beyond the demilitarized zone separating the two countries. Going forward, Israel will stay wary of the Sharaa government and will likely continue to use military pressure on Syria, consisting of an expanded occupation of southern Syria and occasional air strikes.

Israel's openness to the Trump administration's efforts to broker a nonaggression pact in between Israel and Syria stays an open question. Instead, Syria could end up being a locus of regional power competition between Israel and Turkey as both seek to apply their influence over Syria's trajectory. Since the fall of Assad in December 2024, Saudi Arabia has lobbied hard for the United States to lift Syria sanctions, citing them as an essential barrier to the nation's restoration.

For MBS, the U.S. choice stood as an important victory emerging from Trump's trip. Moving forward, Saudi Arabia will likely encourage the United States to continue along its course toward normalization with Syria. It might promote the repeal of the Caesar sanctions, which should be undertaken by Congress. Riyadh might likewise push the United States to rein in Israel, should it continue with aggressive military action in Syria.

Key Benefits of Operational Excellence in 2026

In spite of widening domestic and international criticism of Israel's approach, the prime minister has actually not wavered in his expanding occupation of Gaza in the absence of any U.S. pressure. Undoubtedly, the prime minister appears to bask in U.S. support, without any tip of a shift in policy. Moving forward, Netanyahu can be expected to continue along the same trajectory in Gaza, specifically because a dramatic shift in U.S.

On the contrary, as the international outcry versus Israel's actions in Gaza grows and with an increasing variety of U.S. allies moving to state a Palestinian state, Israel is most likely to entrench its position even more, boosted by the possibility of ongoing U.S. support. The Trump administration revealed its decision to deny visas to the Palestinian Authority leadership ahead of the UN General Assembly, apparently in reaction to installing require declaring a Palestinian state.

Riyadh immediately declined Trump's proposal and repeated its rejection to stabilize relations with Israel in the absence of substantial progress towards the production of a Palestinian state. The kingdom has actually also strongly criticized Israel for the lack of appropriate aid streaming into Gaza. Following the August 22 starvation statement, Saudi Arabia, while not calling out the United States, faulted the Israeli occupation as the cause of the "humanitarian catastrophe" in Gaza.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Its leading role in promoting a two-state solution at the 80th UN General Assembly stands as its most popular effort in this regard. The kingdom will likely continue its behind-the-scenes lobbying of the United States to push Israel to relent on these needs, holding out on any progress towards normalization with Israel in the absence of motion on these concerns.

GCC Business News for Growth Planning

Its engagement in the Middle East is forming the contours of the emerging local orderwhether by default or design. Specifically, its choices on Iran, Syria, and Gaza all touch on core challenges in the area and hold the possible to move each in a favorable direction. Yet, danger and deepening dispute stand on the flip side of each opportunity.

As global trade patterns realign, a new investment corridor is taking shape, linking capital from the Gulf to Latin America. Sovereign wealth funds, corporations, and family offices from the Gulf Cooperation Council ("") are investing billions across Latin America's energy, agriculture, fintech, and facilities sectors. Trade in between Mexico and GCC states rose more than 33% between 2021 and 2022, while non-oil trade with the UAE has actually nearly doubled over the past years.

3 Business sentiment shows this momentum64% of Latin American executives prepare to broaden engagement with the Gulf, specifically in farming, sustainable energy, and digital services. 4 Underscoring this momentum, Saudi Arabia just recently opened its very first Chamber of Commerce office in Miami, additional signifying the growing links in between Gulf capital and the Americas.