MUST-READS

• Map wars in the Middle East

  Nowhere is this more true than in the contested regions that today include modern-day Israel and the Palestinian territories. Since the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, different governmental and nongovernmental organizations and political interest groups have engaged in what can best be described as “map wars.” Maps of the region use the naming of places, the position of borders and the inclusion or omission of certain territories to present contrasting geopolitical visions. To this day, Israel or the Palestinian territories may fall off some maps, depending on the politics of their makers.

• Largest Middle East maritime exercise unites over 35 nations

  The Middle East’s largest maritime exercise, International Maritime Exercise (IMX) 2025, officially commenced on February 10th in Bahrain and Jordan, according to a press release. The 12-day training event, hosted by U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT), features over 5,000 personnel from more than 35 nations and international organisations. IMX 2025 is linked with Exercise Cutlass Express, led by U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa, allowing for extensive information sharing between maritime operations centres. The goal is to enhance theatre-to-theatre coordination, reduce operational gaps, and strengthen partner nation capabilities in responding to maritime threats.

• These top-10 LPGA players headline the $5 million PIF Saudi Ladies International

  One of the largest purses in women's golf is up for grabs this week. The $5 million PIF Saudi Ladies International takes place Feb. 13-15 at Riyadh Golf Club in Saudi Arabia. The event, which is part of the Ladies European Tour, is headlined by No. 3 Ruoning Yin, No. 4 Jeeno Thitikul, ninth-ranked Charley Hull and defending champion Patty Tavatanakit, who ranks 25th. This year's tournament – which features a new title sponsor in PIF – features 112 players and a new team format. The teams, which are drafted ahead of the event, will compete over the first two days for a $500,000 prize. A cut is then made to the top 60 and ties to compete for the remaining $4.5 million purse.

• Senior Arab officials warn that Trump Gaza plan would inflame Middle East

  Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit warned the World Government Summit in Dubai that if Trump pressed ahead with his plan, he would lead the Middle East into a new cycle of crises with a “damaging effect on peace and stability.” Jasem Al-Budaiwi, who heads the oil-rich Gulf Cooperation Council political and economic alliance, called on Trump to remember the strong ties between the region and Washington. “But there has to be give and take, he says his opinion and Arab world should say theirs; what he is saying won’t be accepted by the Arab world.”

• GCC exchanges sees record number of IPOs in FY24 with 53 listings across the region

  UAE IPOs have represented nearly half of total GCC IPO proceeds in 2024, as they have accounted for 47% ($6.2bn) of total proceeds this year, including two major IPOs in Q4: Food delivery business,Talabat, which raised $2.0bn with its DFM listing and GCC retailer, Lulu, raised $1.7bn with its ADX listing. Furthermore, Tadawul listings have been highlighted as accounting for 30% ($4.0bn) of all GCC proceeds. 2024 saw $9.7bn of proceeds from bond issuance and $25.9bn from sukuks with 55% of bonds and Sukuks issued by GCC governments. 26 IPOs completed in the last quarter of 2024 including 20 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

• Gulf Countries Bet Big: $100B for Renewables to Slash Emissions by 20%

  The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations, also called Gulf countries excluding Iraq, have announced a historic $100 billion investment in renewable energy by 2030. This initiative aims to reduce carbon emissions by up to 20% while transitioning toward sustainable energy sources. The announcement was made at the 43rd meeting on “Future Climate Change Management and Economic Development in the Gulf States” in Muscat. It marks a big step in the region’s energy change. The GCC countries account for about 25% of the world’s oil production. They contribute around 1.5 billion tons of CO2 annually—roughly 4% of global emissions.

• $600bn Saudi-US trade pledge ‘unlikely to be achieved’

  It would require an average of $150 billion in annual trade and investment. That would be equivalent to 14 percent of Saudi GDP, 40 percent of its export revenue, and more than half of its total imports, according to Tim Callen, a visiting fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington and a former IMF official. “Both Trump and the crown prince like big numbers,” Callen tells AGBI. “They grab attention and define a narrative.”   That number, however, is roughly what the US has exported in goods and services to Saudi Arabia over the past 25 years combined, according to Callen, citing data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. During Trump’s first term, in the four years to 2020, the US exported less to Saudi Arabia than during the preceding term under Democrat President Barack Obama, at $92 billion, down from $110 billion.

• Oman advances liquefied hydrogen export project

  Developed by Oman’s state-run hydrogen company Hydrom, the Ministry of Energy, Athens-based Ecolog and offtaker EnBW, one of Germany’s largest power companies, the project is expected to be completed in 2030. It follows an agreement signed during Cop28 in Dubai in 2023 between Oman, the Port of Amsterdam, Zenith Energy Terminals and GasLog, outlining the development of a liquid hydrogen supply chain to transport green hydrogen from Oman to the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe.

• Hamas says it is willing to move ahead with Gaza ceasefire
  Hamas signalled on Thursday that a crisis threatening to unravel an already fragile ceasefire in Gaza could be avoided even after trading accusations with Israel this week of ceasefire breaches. The 42-day ceasefire has appeared close to failure since Hamas on Monday unexpectedly announced it would stop releasing hostages, leading Israel to respond with a threat to return to war. Hamas said it did not want the deal to collapse, though it rejected what it called the "language of threats and intimidation" from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump. They have said the ceasefire should be cancelled if the hostages are not released.

• Saudi Arabia spearheads Arab scramble for alternative to Trump’s Gaza plan

  Draft ideas will be discussed at a meeting in Riyadh this month of countries including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. Proposals may involve a Gulf-led reconstruction fund and a deal to sideline Hamas, five of the people said. Reuters spoke to 15 sources in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and elsewhere to build a picture of the hurried efforts by Arab states to pull together existing proposals into a new plan they can sell to the U.S. president - even potentially calling it a "Trump plan" to win his approval. One Arab government source said at least four proposals had already been drafted for Gaza's future, but an Egyptian proposal was now emerging as central to the Arab push for an alternative to Trump's idea. The latest Egyptian proposal involves forming a national Palestinian committee to govern Gaza without Hamas involvement, international participation in reconstruction without displacing Palestinians abroad, and movement towards a two-state solution, three Egyptian security sources said.

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