PERHAPS the most important and welcome event of the past two weeks is the defence accord recently concluded between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
It is more than a conventional arrangement between two allies and is a harbinger of a shifting order, signaling how Middle Eastern power is being reconstituted in ways that diminish US centrality, while elevating Gulf-driven legitimacy and multi polar alignments. Crystallized against the backdrop of global turbulence, this pact reflects how security, economics and credibility are being re-threaded into a new fabric of regional architecture.
The Pakistan–Saudi defence agreement carries deep implications. For Saudi Arabia, it adds a new layer of strategic depth. For decades, Pakistan has quietly underwritten Riyadh’s security, particularly through military training and personnel support. By formalizing this cooperation, Saudi Arabia diversifies away from exclusive reliance on Washington at a time when American commitments look increasingly uncertain and more pro-Israel. For Pakistan, the pact enhances prestige and cements its role as a core partner in shaping Islamic and regional security and an important player in South East Asian affairs.
The broader significance lies in its network effect: once Saudi Arabia anchors itself in such an arrangement, the gravitational pull will extend across the GCC. The UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman cannot remain outside a defence framework binding Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. What begins bilaterally may evolve into a GCC-wide lattice of security, forming the skeleton of a new Middle Eastern order. Saudi Arabia has positioned this pact at the apex of the global power center—not as a narrow bilateral contract but as part of sovereign re-calibration: balancing US ties while embedding security in multi-polar circuits from Islamabad to Beijing and Moscow. This is both hedging and projection, securing the Kingdom against volatility while ensuring Saudi leadership defines regional security. Pakistan is elevated from peripheral partner to central architect in this evolving equation.
This realignment intersects directly with the unresolved Palestinian question. For decades, Palestine was treated as a frozen conflict, endlessly deferred while US power guaranteed the regional status quo. That status quo is now unraveling. Recent moves by Western capitals, including recognition of Palestinian statehood by European governments, are not simply moral awakenings, but signs of the old structure crumbling. Yet while Europe shows visible adjustment, Washington remains the primary bastion of Israel’s narrative power. Recognition and peace are now treated not merely as ethical gestures, but as instruments of realignment in the global balance of power. In this context, Saudi Arabia’s insistence that normalization with Israel must pass through Palestinian recognition is not mere symbolism; it is a geopolitical condition backed by sovereign wealth, strategic independence and Chinese leverage.
This places Israel at a crossroads. For decades, it thrived as Washington’s forward outpost, the spearhead of US regional dominance and the beneficiary of unconditional American support. That model is now fraying with profound political implications inside Israel itself. . The future will belong to Israeli leaders capable of embedding their state into regional designs of cooperation, rather than clinging to unilateral hegemony.
What is manifesting is not state collapse, but the rise of a new formation: autonomous regional finance, security and trade frameworks. Here, the Gulf States are already gaining disproportionate influence, economically, diplomatically, in energy, tech and investment. The real divide ahead is less Israel vs. Iran and more dependence vs. independence; global alignment vs. regional resilience; old patronage vs. new investment.
In a dramatic diplomatic shift, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom and France announced that they are formally recognizing the State of Palestine, breaking with decades of alignment with Israel and joining a growing international push to end the war in Gaza. The coordinated move by four of Israel’s closest Western allies piles pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and places them at odds with the United States, which continues to oppose unilateral recognition outside of direct negotiations. This recognition further isolates Israel as it pushes forward with a large-scale offensive on Gaza City.
In their joint statements, leaders from Ottawa, London and Canberra cited frustration with the collapse of peace talks and the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza, where UN agencies warn of famine and where dozens were reported killed in renewed Israeli strikes. The three countries said recognition was necessary to “keep alive the possibility of a two-state solution.” Palestinian officials welcomed the announcement.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu rejected the move outright, vowing “there will be no Palestinian State,” accusing the four governments of “rewarding terror” after Hamas’ October 7 attacks and pledging to expand settlements in the occupied West Bank. The highest priority now is to stop the genocide in Gaza and end the humanitarian blockade. Diplomats noted this recognition marks a watershed moment: Four G7 countries openly challenging Washington’s approach. Analysts say it may accelerate broader recognition within Europe, though the absence of US support limits immediate impact. Importantly, European nations have finally realized Israel, backed by the US, has unleashed terror on Gaza civilians, disregarding humanity and the UN Charter.
Another dimension, and a very important one, is that the economic fragility which Pakistan has been suffering from for long will no longer be viewed by the international community through the same prism as before. The accord will strengthen Pakistan’s position both psychologically and practically and will bring stability to the economy.
—The writer is Former Civil Servant and Consultant (ILO) & International Organisation for Migration and author of seven books.
