A report describes in depth how human rights defenders are routinely beaten, placed in solitary confinement and forced to endure extreme temperatures and humiliation. Other tactics used to punish activists include spreading rumours to tarnish their reputation, which prevents them from finding a decent job once they are released from prison. Families are also pressured to persuade relatives to stop criticizing the state. In other cases, activists are simply told that they must leave Oman and never return.

Obama wanted to calm the waters in the Middle East, then shift the burden of policing it to America’s partners there, such as Israel and Saudi Arabia, as the United States had done during the Cold War. Hence, his policies were aimed at the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the region, forging an Iran nuclear deal and restarting negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. With U.S. forces gone from Syria, so is a check on Iranian ambitions to expand its military presence and political influence there – much to the horror of officials not only in the United States, but in Saudi Arabia and Israel as well.

Qatar has hosted sporting events as a form of soft power, helping it break its isolation and build relationships with the international community, including Israel. However, The UAE has different motives, warming up to Israel in a bid to form a broader alliance against their mutual enemy, Iran.

There appears to be decreasing appetite for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict among Gulf leaders, due to the conflict’s stalemate, the deadlock in Palestinian politics and the inefficacy of Mahmoud Abbas’ leadership,” she noted. “But the Palestinian issue does continue to be an emotive one for the Arab world. Normalizing without a resolution carries domestic political risks for the monarchies.

The arrest came after al-Hawali published a book critical of the Saudi royal family. Titled Muslims and Western Civilization, the book largely denounces the West. However, it contains a chapter implying that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (also referred to as MBS) is on course for a disaster. It also criticizes the ruling family for ‘wasting funds on fake projects’, calls MBS’ cosy relationship with Israel a ‘betrayal’ and condemns his rapprochement with the United States, United Arab Emirates and Egypt.

In addition to solving the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, tension on the Israeli border would be alleviated and a long-term calm could be achieved. Moreover, there would be a real key to political partnership among all Palestinian factions. Consequently, the Egyptian leadership would likely agree to keep the Rafah crossing open because it would be run by an internationally recognized administration.

While Saudi Arabia is normalizing its ties with Israel, the US still provides Israel with more than $3 billion annually in military aid. The coniuous builiding of illegal settelements, the move of the US embassy to Jerusalem and the killing of non-violent protestors in Gaza by the Israeli army, all these have killed the Arab Peace Initiative.

If The Arab League is to undergo a transformation for the better, it can only happen under two conditions. The Arab League must act collectively to override the influence of its most dominant members while resisting foreign pressure.

Speaking with Ibrahim, one feels that his mission is over. He has done his part – “clashing with every regime from Nasser to Sadat, Mubarak and al-Sisi” – and now hopes that his fight for democracy, rights and civil society in Egypt will continue after him.

Another obstacle to translating Arabic literature into Hebrew is politics and the fear of ‘normalizing’ relations between Arab countries and Israel or the Palestinian Territories and Israel. However, the obstacles to translation go both ways. Many Arab authors refuse to grant translation rights to Hebrew publishers. However, the Arab Spring has increased the interest in Arabic literature, where Arab authors are willing to have their works translated into Hebrew and Israeli readers are showing more interest in reading them. This in turn boosts sales and feeds the success of future titles translated into Hebrew.