Via Sean Mathews in middleeasteye.net: Gulf states who spent years trying to crush Islamic political movements viewed as a threat to their rule are now reconciling, potentially working with a government in Syria headed by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) that is backed by rival Turkey and courting the US. Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt have been caught off guard by what one Egyptian diplomat characterised to Middle East Eye as the “quick rebranding” of HTS, a former al-Qaeda affiliate. The UAE has also been unnerved by the US’s manoeuvring to open backchannels of communication to HTS via Turkey, according to a senior western official.
