Morocco in an Arab military force modeled on NATO?

According to numerous Arabic-language reports published Saturday, including Al-Akhbar, which cites a government source in Cairo, Egypt is working to reactivate a NATO-style Arab military force capable of rapidly defending itself in the event of an attack due to the war between Israel and Hamas. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is striving to restore Arab support for a rapid-reaction force that could be deployed to defend any Arab state under attack, reports the London-based Al-Quds Al-Arabi. The revival of a joint Arab military force modeled on NATO comes as the Arab-Islamic summit scheduled to take place in Doha this Monday approaches. This proposal was reportedly discussed during the latest diplomatic contacts before the summit, according to Al-Quds Al-Arabi.

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According to Arab media, this idea is a protective umbrella and not an escalation with Israel. Cairo is discussing the contribution of approximately 20,000 Egyptian soldiers and is seeking to place a four-star Egyptian officer in command, with Saudi Arabia as the main partner if the plan moves forward, the Palestinian outlet Ma’an reveals, describing the discussions as ongoing. These discussions currently concern how such an organization would operate. For Cairo, it should be designed according to the demographics and military capabilities of the participating Arab countries.

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The idea of creating a joint Arab military force modeled on NATO emerged nearly ten years ago, without making any progress. But Israel’s recent attack on Hamas leaders in Qatar has brought this proposal back to the forefront, reports suggest. Egypt is now seeking the support of other Arab countries to advance this initiative. Regional and political considerations would also play a role, stresses the source cited by Al-Akhbar, noting the possible involvement of forces from Morocco and Algeria. “The mechanism should allow the force to be deployed when needed, and it should be formed in a way that reflects the composition of the Arab states and their armies, balancing regional politics,” the official said.

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However, this initiative is viewed unfavorably by Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid. “The report concerning Egypt’s proposal to create a joint Arab force in response to Israeli attacks is a serious blow to the peace agreements,” he said in a post on X. He added: “This comes immediately after the severe blow dealt to the Abraham Accords, which themselves came immediately after the overwhelming majority of countries that were once allies of Israel voted in favor of creating a Palestinian state.”