Guiding Principles
Six principles for how Israel should engage in the Red Sea region, regardless of the specific initiatives it pursues.
The recommendation rests on six principles drawn from the research findings and the literature reviewed throughout the project. Together, they provide a framework for how Israel can pursue cooperation in the Red Sea under current political conditions while building toward a more durable regional future.
Parallel Channels
Combine public engagement with private cooperation to build both trust and legitimacy.
Effective engagement requires institutional and informal cooperation to operate simultaneously. Formal engagement without trust often stalls, while informal cooperation without institutional backing struggles to scale. Successful initiatives should therefore develop both channels in parallel.
Managed Visibility
Keep cooperation aligned with partners' political constraints and domestic realities.
Regional cooperation often succeeds only when visibility is carefully managed. Partner states may benefit from engagement while facing domestic political limits on public alignment. Every initiative should therefore operate within an agreed visibility ceiling.
Partner Priorities
Build initiatives around each partner's interests, priorities, and strategic goals.
Different regional actors have different needs and incentives. Cooperation works best when initiatives are designed around partner priorities rather than Israeli priorities alone.
Regional Balance
Engage across the Gulf without becoming dependent on any single partner.
Israel should maintain flexibility across Gulf relationships and avoid allowing its regional strategy to become identified with a single actor. Durable engagement requires preserving options across the region.
Functional Progress
Evaluate cooperation through actions and outcomes rather than public sentiment.
Public opinion and functional cooperation do not always move together. Progress should therefore be measured through trade, infrastructure, security, and other practical forms of cooperation.
Formal Agreements
Use practical cooperation to create pathways toward lasting formal partnerships.
Functional cooperation creates durable relationships through infrastructure, trade, and shared interests. Over time, these relationships should be designed to evolve into formal agreements when political conditions allow.