Is another diplomacy possible in the Middle East?

While the United States has been forced to plunge back into the cauldron of the Middle East and France is still trying to play a role there, major non-Western powers want to exert influence there. China, Russia and Brazil are maneuvering between Israelis and Palestinians. But they are struggling to bring about an alternative diplomacy to the old Western diplomacies.

“We give our lives and our souls for you Palestine”. In Cairo, dressed all in red, tens of thousands of supporters of the Al Ahly club reiterate their attachment to the Palestinian cause. In Egypt, as in other Arab countries, public opinion has not forgotten Gaza where the death toll has exceeded 12,000.

It’s raining there. These tropical rains mark the transition from a hot and humid summer to a mild and dry winter. Without a real water drainage system and with garbage floating in the streets, the health risks are great for Gazans and for the Israeli hostages.

Meanwhile, the French Defense Minister is on a diplomatic tour. In Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, Sébastien Lecornu discusses “two major security issues: regional security with the fight against escalation and the security of hostages. This conflict can ignite the entire region, France has a particular voice, we must control this escalation.“

“The French know the meaning of the word occupation”

But does France still have real influence? Many Palestinians have doubts, met by our special correspondents Marc Garvenès and Vanessa Descouraux in East Jerusalem, the majority Arab part of the city.

France is gradually being relegated to second place in the Near and Middle East but still thinks it can speak with its voice there. “particular”. Conversely, the United States had chosen to move away from it before being forced to dive back into it. In a forum at Washington Poston November 18, Joe Biden supports the reunification of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip under the government of a Palestinian Authority “revitalized”. But when it comes to influence, the United States has competitors in the region.

China and Brazil support the Palestinians

On Monday, November 20, representatives from Arab or predominantly Muslim countries such as Indonesia arrived in Beijing. This is the first stop on a tour of the capitals of the member countries of the UN Security Council. As master of ceremonies for this first stage, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi deplores “a humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding in Gaza. The situation in Gaza affects every country in the world, calling into question the notion of good and evil and the fundamental principles of humanity.” The permanent correspondent of Radio France in Beijing Sébastien Berriot recalls that China first imagined itself as a mediating power in the Middle East (after having sponsored the Iranian-Saudi rapprochement) but that it has now taken up the cause of Palestine, refusing to use the word “terrorist” to describe the massacres of November 7.

Beijing thus hopes to influence the “global south”, a somewhat shortened way of cataloging everything that is not Western. In this “global south”, Brazil also wants to make itself heard through the voice of its president, Lula Da Silva. The left-wing leader accuses Israel of “killing innocent people without any criteria. After Hamas’ acts of terrorism, the consequences, Israel’s solution turned out to be as serious as Hamas’s.” Brazil and its Brics cronies (Russia, India, China and South Africa) are preparing an online summit dedicated to Gaza during which Vladimir Putin will speak. But Pierre Haski, journalist specializing in international relations for France Inter and The Obsrecalls that “The BRICS constitute a very divided group with contradictions within”: “India was very accommodating with Russia on Ukraine but it supports Israel against Hamas, breaking with Russia which has chosen to embrace the dominant Arab discourse on this conflict.

“Russia is doing everything in relation to its intervention in Ukraine and wants to garner support in the global south. The Brics are trying to exist but we should not expect anything mind-blowing from it.”

Pierre Haski, journalist specializing in international relations

For these powers of “global south” often rivals with each other, Israel and Gaza are only a square on a global chessboard and in their own agenda.

In this episode: Vanessa Decoureaux, Sébastien Berriot, Pierre Haski
On air: Anne Depelchin
Technique: Guirec Corbin
Production: Frédéric Métézeau