The Arab Dilemma

Why did the world watch Gaza's destruction unfold - and look away?

On October 7, 2023, Hamas's attack on Israel set in motion a war whose scale of devastation in Gaza has been called, by many observers, an overkill. The Arab Dilemma asks the harder question that followed: why did Arab governments - bound to Palestinians by language, faith, and decades of solidarity rhetoric - largely stand aside? And why did the wider international community, despite mounting evidence of atrocity, fail to stop it?

Drawing on international law, diplomatic history, and the shifting politics of the Middle East, Dr. Zahir Hasan traces the political calculations, historical grievances, and strategic interests behind this collective abandonment. Chapter by chapter, the book examines the actions - and inactions - of Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iran, and the Gulf states, then widens the lens to the United Nations, the United States, and Europe.

This is not a one-sided polemic. Hasan holds human rights violations to a single standard, weighing the brutality of October 7 alongside the scale of Gaza's destruction, and confronts uncomfortable truths on every side of the conflict. The book closes with forward-looking, actionable recommendations for regional and international policymakers - written as the conflict continues and peace proposals are repeatedly rejected.

For readers of Middle East politics, international relations, and human rights history who want an analytical, evidence-based account - not another op-ed.

Zahir Hasan holds graduate degrees in public policy, law, and education, and teaches at the university level in Tokyo.