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Israel responded with alarm to both the U.S. choice to raise sanctions on Syria and President Trump's meeting with Ahmed al-Sharaa. Prime Minister Netanyahu apparently asked President Trump not to lift Syria sanctions in advance of Trump's trip to the region. Furthermore, given that the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, Israel has been careful of the previous jihadist now in control in Damascus.

It has also released soldiers in southern Syria, occupying an increasing location beyond the demilitarized zone separating the 2 countries. Going forward, Israel will stay careful of the Sharaa government and will likely continue to apply military pressure on Syria, including a broadened profession of southern Syria and periodic air campaign.

Israel's openness to the Trump administration's efforts to broker a nonaggression pact in between Israel and Syria stays an open concern. Because the fall of Assad in December 2024, Saudi Arabia has lobbied hard for the United States to raise Syria sanctions, citing them as a crucial barrier to the nation's restoration.

For MBS, the U.S. decision stood as an essential success emerging from Trump's journey. Moving forward, Saudi Arabia will likely encourage the United States to continue along its path toward normalization with Syria. It may promote the repeal of the Caesar sanctions, which should be carried out by Congress. Riyadh might also press the United States to check Israel, should it continue with aggressive military action in Syria.

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Regardless of expanding domestic and global criticism of Israel's technique, the prime minister has actually not wavered in his expanding occupation of Gaza in the lack of any U.S. pressure. Undoubtedly, the prime minister appears to bask in U.S. support, without any hint of a shift in policy. Moving forward, Netanyahu can be expected to continue along the very same trajectory in Gaza, specifically given that a remarkable shift in U.S.

On the contrary, as the international protest versus Israel's actions in Gaza grows and with an increasing number of U.S. allies relocating to declare a Palestinian state, Israel is likely to entrench its position further, bolstered by the possibility of ongoing U.S. assistance. The Trump administration announced its choice to deny visas to the Palestinian Authority leadership ahead of the UN General Assembly, relatively in response to mounting calls for declaring a Palestinian state.

Riyadh immediately turned down Trump's proposition and restated its refusal to stabilize relations with Israel in the lack of substantial progress towards the creation of a Palestinian state. The kingdom has also highly slammed Israel for the lack of sufficient help flowing into Gaza. Following the August 22 starvation statement, Saudi Arabia, while not calling out the United States, faulted the Israeli occupation as the cause of the "humanitarian disaster" in Gaza.

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Its leading role in promoting a two-state option at the 80th UN General Assembly stands as its most popular effort in this regard. The kingdom will likely continue its behind-the-scenes lobbying of the United States to press Israel to relent on these demands, holding out on any progress towards normalization with Israel in the lack of motion on these problems.

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Its engagement in the Middle East is shaping the contours of the emerging local orderwhether by default or style. Particularly, its choices on Iran, Syria, and Gaza all discuss core difficulties in the region and hold the prospective to move each in a positive direction. Danger and deepening dispute stand on the flip side of each opportunity.

As worldwide trade patterns realign, a new investment passage is taking shape, connecting capital from the Gulf to Latin America. Sovereign wealth funds, corporations, and family workplaces from the Gulf Cooperation Council ("") are investing billions across Latin America's energy, agriculture, fintech, and infrastructure sectors. Trade in between Mexico and GCC states rose more than 33% between 2021 and 2022, while non-oil trade with the UAE has almost doubled over the previous decade.

3 Service sentiment reflects this momentum64% of Latin American executives prepare to expand engagement with the Gulf, especially in farming, eco-friendly energy, and digital services. 4 Underscoring this momentum, Saudi Arabia recently opened its first Chamber of Commerce office in Miami, additional signaling the growing links between Gulf capital and the Americas.