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Gulf Arabs Weary of Protesting for Palestine
(Wall Street Journal) Yaroslav Trofimov - The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has long played a role in excusing injustices in Arab societies. This helps explain why many young people, especially in the Gulf states, are tired of sacrificing their interests to it. In the decade since the Arab Spring uprisings began in 2010, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been just one conflagration among many in the region, often overshadowed by far bloodier tragedies in Syria, Yemen and Libya. Former Jordanian foreign minister Marwan Muasher said: "The Arab Spring has meant that the Arab public and the Arab governments are more concerned about their domestic situation than they are with the Palestinian issue." Fawaz Gerges of the London School of Economics said: "Many Arab states, in particular in the Gulf, view Iran and Turkey as representing an existential threat - and certainly a greater threat to their interests than Israel."