Growing tensions between Gulf Cooperation Council nations and the Arab League have sparked discussions about potential withdrawal from the decades-old regional organization, following what many see as an inadequate response to Iranian aggression.
Questions surrounding the GCC states’ continued participation in the Arab League have intensified after the organization faced criticism for its handling of the Israeli-American-Iranian conflict and subsequent Iranian strikes against Gulf nations and Jordan.
Critics from Gulf nations, including social media commentators and individuals connected to government circles, contend that the Arab League has failed to adopt “decisive stances” or issue strong condemnations of Iranian attacks on Gulf territories. Many argue the organization primarily follows Egyptian policy directions rather than seeking broader Arab consensus, pointing to its Cairo headquarters and the tradition of appointing former Egyptian officials as secretaries-general.
Following the Iranian attacks on Gulf states and Jordan, the Arab League released multiple condemnatory statements. The initial declaration on February 28 “condemned these attacks and affirmed its full solidarity with the Arab states in confronting them and its support for any measures they take to defend themselves and protect their people.”
The organization’s Ministerial Council convened an emergency virtual session on March 8, 2026, explicitly denouncing attacks on Arab nations’ sovereignty and territorial integrity, according to the post-meeting statement.
However, controversy erupted from comments made by Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit during a March 8, 2026 media appearance, when he characterized Iranian escalation against Gulf civilian targets as a “huge mistake.”
Aboul Gheit further stated that “no member of the Arab League has asked us to sever relations with Iran.”
These remarks triggered sharp criticism from Gulf officials, media personalities, and government-connected figures who viewed them as evidence that the Arab League was failing to effectively address the crisis.
During the March 29, 2026 Arab League meeting, Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah declared that “successive experiences have revealed the limited effectiveness of the joint Arab action system within the framework of the Arab League, which necessitates a frank and responsible review. Despite its symbolic status, the Arab League has proven a clear inability to keep pace with rapidly evolving challenges and to play an effective role in safeguarding Arab security.”
Lieutenant General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, Dubai’s deputy police and public security chief known for his outspoken political commentary, wrote on his official X account on March 24, 2026: “The Gulf States’ announcement of their withdrawal from the Arab League is not a true Arab League.”
Jamal Sanad Al-Suwaidi, vice chairman of the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research Board of Trustees and someone with close ties to Gulf leadership, posted on March 31, 2026: “The Gulf States are considering withdrawing from the Arab League.”
Dr. Khaled Al-Subaie, director of the Khaled Center for Media Studies and Consultations in Saudi Arabia and an individual close to Saudi decision-making circles, used his official X account on April 4, 2026, to advocate for “the Gulf states to refuse to attend the meetings of the League of Arab States, not to recognize it and its decisions, and to close its offices in these countries.” He also urged “not paying any amounts into the budget of the League of Arab States.”
Saudi political analyst Qasim Sultan explained to The Media Line: “The role of the Arab League has been weakening over time, and I believe this is due to the weakness of successive secretaries-general. Most of them are former Egyptian officials, over 70 years old. Therefore, this position, despite its importance, has become a place for some former Egyptian officials to retire, profit, and gain.”
“I believe it is necessary to move the headquarters of the Arab League from Egypt to Riyadh, and the established practice of the Secretary-General being Egyptian should not be changed, as it is not exclusive to any one country,” he continued.
“Its charter should also be amended to make its decisions more binding on Arab states, to expedite its decision-making process, and to work more effectively on joint coordination, as is the case in the European Union, rather than functioning as a forum that accomplishes virtually nothing,” Sultan added.
Kuwaiti political journalist Abdullah Al-Khamis informed The Media Line that “The Gulf states pay the majority of the Arab League’s budget, as previously announced at Arab League meetings.” He condemned the League’s inaction during Iranian attacks on Gulf states and its “weak” responses, noting: “It has also failed to engage in any international coordination, contenting itself with a few feeble statements.”
“I believe that an Arab coordination council should be formed, a better alternative to this League. This council should consist of the Gulf states, Jordan, Morocco, and Syria. These countries largely agree on their decisions and are also influential in international affairs,” Al-Khamis suggested.
Al-Khamis delivered harsh criticism of the Arab League’s effectiveness: “This Arab League was stillborn. It has never taken any decisive action throughout its history, nor has it been able to be influential in international decisions. It has not taken any real action, whether economic, political, or in negotiations with any of the other major blocs.”
Former Iraqi Army General Amin Abdul Aziz told The Media Line: “What needs to be activated first in the Arab League is military unity.” He expressed frustration over the absence of military exercises and coordination, stating: “Therefore, in the absence of any unified Arab military force, we shouldn’t expect any effective decisions from the Arab League.”
He added: “Many events have taken place in the Arab world, and we haven’t seen any unified positions, only a few weak statements that are ineffective. Therefore, the Arab League needs a complete overhaul, or it should be dissolved outright.”
Abdul Aziz identified the selection process as a fundamental problem, explaining that “the mechanism for selecting the Secretary-General of the League, which has traditionally been to choose him permanently from Egypt and to be a former Egyptian official—a requirement not stipulated in any law or charter of the Arab League—is the crux of the matter.”
He noted that “when a former Egyptian official, whether a foreign minister, prime minister, or someone else, serves in a position, he still carries Egyptian thinking and policies, and therefore doesn’t represent all Arabs.”
Egyptian political analyst and journalist Sarah Azab dismissed allegations that Egypt bears responsibility for the Arab League’s ineffectiveness, describing such claims as politically motivated. She characterized these accusations as “simply attempts to undermine Egypt, and these claims are untrue.”
Azab highlighted Egypt’s historical role in the organization, explaining that leadership positions have traditionally been filled by individuals with international credibility and that Cairo enjoys broad regional support. “Egypt, being the largest Arab country and the most experienced in international politics, enjoys Arab consensus to assume this responsibility,” she stated, adding that she would welcome an alternative candidate “if they found someone better to head this organization from outside Egypt, but perhaps they haven’t found anyone.”
Azab characterized the League’s difficulties as institutional rather than leadership-related, arguing that divisions among member nations represent the primary challenge. “The problem within the Arab League lies in the conflicting interests of its members, not in the League itself,” she explained, pointing to varying responses to Iranian actions in the Gulf region. She observed that some nations maintain diplomatic relationships with Tehran and have avoided condemning attacks, making consensus difficult to achieve.
She also questioned why criticism seems concentrated primarily on Egypt while overlooking other nations. “Why don’t we see these media attacks on the Sultanate of Oman … or even semi-official attack on Algeria, Mauritania, or other countries that did not take a position?” she asked.
Azab contended that the focus of criticism misrepresents the real issue. “Why only on Egypt, and to show as if the weakness of the Arab League is because of Egypt?” she said, concluding that “the Arab League is weak only because of the conflict of interests of the members.”
