Opinion: Why the Mecca Agreement is a necessary show of force

Opinion: Why the Mecca Agreement is a necessary show of force It will be three years in October since Israe l started its genocide in Gaza, a war crime it has repeated in the Occupied West Bank, South Lebanon, and Iran.

For much of that time, Turkey and the Arab world held up their hands in horror but did nothing. "What can we do? Start a war with Israel?

" the collective cry of the impotent went.

This line was frequently heard in Ankara which continued, despite a trade embargo, to allow Azerbaijani oil to flow through one of its ports and into the eager hands of the Israeli military.

Turkey did stop an Israeli and US armed ground incursion of Iran by Iranian Kurdish militias. And Saudi Arabia has honourably refused to normalise with Israel, absent a credible path to a Palestinian state.

Read more: Why the Mecca Agreement is a necessary show of force Opinion by David Hearst Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif after signing a joint defence agreement in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, 7 August 2026 (Reuters)