Mecca defense pact ‘sidesteps the United States and Israel’

A mutual defense pact signed on Aug. 7 by Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signifies the rise of a Sunni bloc that could adopt new postures toward both Iran and Israel, observers in Israel told JNS in recent days.Meir Ben-Shabbat, the chairman of the Misgav Institute for National Security who is a former Israeli national security adviser and head of the National Security Council, said the newly signed Mecca Joint Defense Agreement “symbolizes several things.”These include “the rise of a strong central Sunni axis that sees itself as capable of serving as a counterweight to other regional forces; an understanding among the states of this axis that the Iranian threat is apparently not expected to disappear in the foreseeable future and requires preparation for scenarios of its development; a desire to create an arrangement that is not dependent on the United States and bypasses Israel, an arrangement that can of…
A mutual defense pact, the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, was signed on August 7, 2026, by Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan, signaling the rise of a Sunni bloc. Israeli observers view this as a strong central Sunni axis, capable of counterbalancing other regional forces and preparing for the Iranian threat, according to Meir Ben-Shabbat, former Israeli national security adviser. He stated the agreement "symbolizes several things," including a desire for an arrangement independent of the United States and bypassing Israel, with potential for political and economic partnerships. Dr. Brandon Friedman of Tel Aviv University noted the pact reflects a shared perception that "both Israel and Iran are potentially destabilizing threats." Egypt's absence is attributed to the pact's NATO-like binding mutual-defense clause, which conflicts with its existing relationships and economic ties, particularly with the UAE and India. The agreement, described as purely defensive, builds on a prior Pakistan-Saudi Arabia pact and is open to other countries.
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