Normalisation of relations

This refers to the editorial, ‘Ominous signs’ (Nov 20). That the rulers of Saudi Arabia are aligning with Israel which is a country that is adopting measures to prevent Muslims from praying freely in the third holiest mosque is shocking as it is. On top of this, Israel is widely and rightly seen within the Ummah as a terrorist state planted as a thorn in the flesh of Muslims in the region. In addition, while targeting Hezbollah which is an organisation that has stood convincingly against Israel, the emerging alliance will only embolden Israel and encourage it to take over even more of the Arab territory.
And of course, Iran will not sit back and watch. The alliance doesn’t make sense morally or even militarily as it is bound to create far more problems than it will solve. With Russia also deeply involved in the region, plus an unpredictable gentleman with dubious mental capability installed in the White House, the initiative of inexperienced and over-ambitious MBS could even lead to World War III, with disastrous consequences for the region and beyond.
S R H Hashmi
Karachi