Emirs, Envoys End Enmity as Embargo Expires in Ever Evolving East

The Arab world is nearing a resolution of one of its major conflicts in recent years, as leaders of several Gulf nations met in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to formally end the blockade on Qatar, which started in 2017. White House adviser and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner accompanied representatives of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt, Qatar and Saudi Arabia at the summit at AlUla, where the group finalized the lifting of the embargo placed three years ago amid accusations of Doha’s support of Iranian aggression in the Middle East. The dramatic development is likely to further isolate Tehran and was achieved with just over two weeks left until the departure of President Trump and Joe Biden’s inauguration as president of the United States. Over the past five months, Washington has brokered groundbreaking accords between several Arab states and Israel, as it seeks to apply further pressure on Iran.