Political scientist Hasanov assessed the consequences of riots due to the attack on a hospital in Gaza

The attack on the Al-Ahli hospital in the Gaza Strip, which killed thousands of people, is being discussed throughout the world. Residents of predominantly Muslim countries staged large-scale protests. Demonstrators marched through the streets of Lebanon, Jordan, Iran, Iraq and other Middle Eastern countries. We are looking into whether this anger could become an impetus for the escalation of the conflict in the region.

Throughout the Arab world and beyond, the event sparked a wave of large-scale protests. Lebanese Hezbollah has declared Wednesday, October 18, a “day of rage.” Exactly when US President Joe Biden arrived in Israel. They responded to the call. Protesters clashed with Lebanese security forces early in the morning.

The scene is a square near the United States Embassy. Demonstrators threw stones, set fire to nearby buildings and even tried to break through security barriers, Agence France-Presse reported. According to AFP, those who took to the streets chanted the slogans “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.” Hundreds of people also gathered outside the French embassy in Beirut.

In the Jordanian capital Amman, protesters attempted to storm the Israeli embassy. Police used tear gas to disperse several thousand demonstrators who chanted slogans in support of Hamas and demanded that the government close the embassy and abandon the peace treaty with Israel.

In Tehran, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the British and French embassies early Wednesday morning. “Death to France and England!” – people shouted as they threw eggs at the walls of the French embassy complex in the Iranian capital.

Several thousand people also gathered at Palestine Square in central Tehran to express their anger, an AFP photographer said.

In Libya, demonstrators of all ages marched waving Palestinian flags and chanting slogans in support of Gazans.

The protest wave was also picked up in Yemen, Morocco, Iraq, and Turkey. The leader of the Turkish state even issued a statement calling the attack on a hospital in Gaza “the latest example of Israeli attacks devoid of the most basic human values.”

Late on Tuesday, clashes with Palestinian security forces also broke out in several West Bank towns, which are governed by the Palestinian Authority (PA). State President Mahmoud Abbas declared three days of mourning for the victims of the tragedy.

This reaction from the “Arab street” has become somewhat commonplace. For example, Hamas has already declared a “day of wrath” on October 13. Then protests from the Islamic world swept through European cities. However, the current demonstrations, mainly covering the countries of the Middle East, have made us wonder how such actions could turn out.

– In general, these demonstrations exert pressure. It all depends on the number of protesters,” explains political scientist Kamran Hasanov in a conversation with MK. – If we talk about Europe, a minority comes out to protest. Yes, European politicians are trying to shift their position, to criticize Israel a little, because they do not want to take an overly pro-Israel position and aggravate the situation in their own country.

In Arab countries, the expert notes, everything is more serious: “There, 99.9% of the population supports Palestine – and this is not only those who protested. Their number could increase exponentially depending on the intensity of violence in the Gaza Strip.”

– If the situation gets worse, the pressure on the governments in the Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt will grow. They will need to take some measures,” Kamran Hasanov noted. “But I think there’s still a long way to go before that.” Still, for the Saudis, Egyptians and others, this is not a primary task. Economic issues are more important to them; only in this case will citizens be ready to go against their governments.

These protests are, first and foremost, a sign of solidarity. Sometimes they result in various attacks and clashes with the police. And so, these are not yet anti-government demonstrations. I have not yet seen serious protests, with the exception of Jordan, where the government would demand tough measures against Israel.

“It’s very symbolic that this all happened on the eve of Joe Biden’s arrival in Israel. Even the Western press doubts that the American leader has a chance to fix anything.

– Yes, the event that happened complicates the task. You’ll have to sweat more. But it seems to me that there is another option: through peak escalations of violence, sometimes some kind of agreement is reached. The more violence, the more clearly Arab countries understand what this entails. I don’t think that it is beneficial for Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, and the UAE for the situation to become more and more tense. If Biden proposes some kind of peace initiative (including Palestinian rights), despite such passions and emotions, there is still a chance for peace.

Read the material “The likelihood of a war between Arab countries against Israel has been assessed”