The shock of Gaza-based Hamas militants’ 7 October attack on Israel has invited inevitable comparisons with the Yom Kippur war 50 years ago. Then, US-led western support for Israel against its Arab attackers culminated in the Arab oil embargo and a subsequent major global energy transformation. The historical parallels with the Middle East today only go so far. Arab-Israeli relations are still complicated, but most Mideast Gulf Arab heavyweights see Iran as the bigger regional problem. Regional oil producers view the US with apprehension-but that stems from Washington’s energy transition agenda and unclear nature of the US’ defence presence in the Middle East.
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