ABSTRACT
This chapter analyzes the implications of the Gulf crisis on the Arab world, and their significance for Israel. The crisis in the Gulf was an important crossroads for inter-Arab relations. Crisis-related activity in the Arab arena involved unprecedented developments. The case of Saudi Arabia stands out in certain respect: the Iraqi threat led the Saudis — contrary to their previous attitude — to deploy on their territory a largely western and Christian force, to defend their security and remove the Iraqi threat. The Gulf crisis cut short a process of reconciliation that had characterized the Arab world since 1989. Meanwhile, Egypt has returned to the leadership of the Arab world, with Saudi Arabia's and Syria's cooperation. The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait undermined the system of balances that had existed in the Arab world, and violated the accepted vital interests of a number of states in the Middle East and even beyond.
