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The old Middle East is dying in front of us.

JL;DR SUMMARY Hen Mazzig explores the shifting dynamics in the Middle East, highlighting the recent strategic alignment between Israel and the UAE in the face of Iranian aggression. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Abraham AccordsSaudi ArabiaMiddle EastIranUaeIron DomeOpecIranian MissilesGulf Cooperation

Places mentioned

Israel
"This is a guest essay by Hen Mazzig, an Israeli writer, speaker, and social media influencer."
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
"Iran blocked the Strait of Hormuz and Emirati production crashed 44 percent in a single month."
Iran
"The country that signed peace with Israel almost six years ago, that opened embassies and trade corridors and tourism routes, absorbed more Iranian fire than the country Iran has spent nearly half a century pledging to destroy."
Jeddah, Makkah, Saudi Arabia
"And while Saudi Arabia hosts a Gulf summit in Jeddah this week to perform unity, Abu Dhabi announced on Tuesday that, effective May 1st, it is walking out of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and OPEC+ (after almost 60 years inside the cartel) without consulting anyone."
Qatar
"Qatar and Oman whispered apologies to the Ayatollahs from behind the curtain."
Oman
"Qatar and Oman whispered apologies to the Ayatollahs from behind the curtain."
Kuwait
"Saudi Arabia and Kuwait wore the suit of outrage one day, then took it off the next."
United States
"It was the first time the Iron Dome was operationally deployed outside Israel or the United States."
Istanbul, Turkey
"built the infrastructure and opened the banks. They condemned the terror attack near Israels consulate in Istanbul, and they issue statements every year on Holocaust Remembrance Day, while almost no other Arab capital says a word."
Aqaba, Jordan
"The UAE has signed a $2.3 billion joint venture with Jordan to build a 360-kilometer rail line from the mining heartland to the Port of Aqaba, effectively replacing Saudi Arabia as Jordans lead infrastructure partner after Riyadh let the project stall for five years."
India
"is suddenly central again: the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), the trade corridor involving India, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Israel, and Jordan before the resources and other goods ultimately arrive in Europe."

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Retrieved 2026-04-30 05:30:57 UTC
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