Although the concept of pan-Arab unity (Pan-Arabism) has existed historically and there are instances of diplomatic coordination, as well as reconciliation, efforts; deep divisions and conflicts remain a reality in West Asia. Now, the Arab nations have seemingly decided to end all their enmities in order to remain united. Saudi Arabia and Qatar recently signed a historic railway agreement to boost bilateral ties. The way the two Gulf nations have come closer, driven by infrastructure development projects, has raised eyebrows among leading International Relations analysts. They are of the opinion that the fear of a potential Jewish attack has prompted Riyadh and Doha to strengthen ties.

The local media reported on December 8, 2025 that Saudi Arabia and Qatar signed the landmark agreement to build a 785km high-speed electric railway to connect Riyadh’s King Salman Airport and Hamad International Airport in Doha. The project would slash travel time to about two hours, boost regional trade, create jobs and foster Gulf cooperation. The development has also marked a significant step in renewed bilateral ties. After signing the accord in Riyadh, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud and Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani announced that the project would strengthen economic ties and promote connectivity between the two countries.

The Eurasian Times has reported that the Saudi Crown Prince wants to run trains at a speed of 300km (186 miles) per hour on the proposed railway tracks. Once the project is completed, commuters will be able to travel between Riyadh and Doha in just two hours. Currently, it takes approximately 90 minutes to travel between the two capital cities by air. Although the travel time would increase slightly, the cost is expected to decrease.

Saudi Crown Prince bin Salman and Emir of Qatar Sheikh Al Thani recently attended a meeting of the Qatar-Saudi Coordination Council in Riyadh. Later, the two leaders mentioned in a joint statement that the railway line project would be completed within the next six years and then, a high-speed electric train service would be launched between the two capital cities with the goal of serving 10 million passengers annually. According to experts, the proposed railway project would create more than 30,000 jobs in Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Significantly, relations between Saudi Arabia and Qatar were extremely hostile just four years ago. In June 2017, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt severed all diplomatic and trade ties with Qatar. At that time, the four countries imposed a comprehensive blockade on Qatar, closing their air, land (Saudi Arabia closed its only land crossing) and sea borders, banning Qatari ships and aircraft. It had a direct impact on fuel-rich Qatar’s exports. As the cost of export was increasing rapidly because of Riyadh’s strict measures, Doha decided to normalise ties with Saudi Arabia. After considering the situation, Saudi Crown Prince bin Salman issued Qatar a list of 13 demands, including the closure of Al Jazeera and its affiliate stations, snap ties with the Muslim Brotherhood, stop providing the Al-Nusra Front (a prominent Syrian Salafist-jihadist militant group) with financial aid and to snap diplomatic ties with Iran, through Kuwaiti mediation on June 22, 2017, requiring Doha to agree within 10 days (July 2, 2017). Analysts believe that it was effectively tantamount to an unconditional surrender. As expected, Doha did not accept the Saudi proposal.

Although the diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Qatar were restored later, they lacked trust. However, Pan-Islamism and the Israeli aggression have brought them closer in recent times. The scenario changed abruptly after the Israeli airstrike on a secret hideout of the Palestinian Hamas Movement in Doha, killing six people, in September 2025. Apart from Qatar, the Zionist Regime also carried out airstrikes in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Tunisia simultaneously.

Amidst strained relations with Saudi Arabia, Qatar signed a defence pact with the US. It may be noted that the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar is the largest US military installation in West Asia. The question arises here: Why did Israel launch an airstrike in Qatar despite the presence of a US airbase there? Perhaps, the US has lost the ability to control Israel or the airstrike had the tacit support of Washington DC. Later, US President Donald John Trump claimed that his administration informed Doha immediately after receiving an intelligence report. However, it was not possible to prevent the Israeli airstrike in Qatar for various reasons. Meanwhile, the Foreign Minister of Qatar made a surprise visit to Russia immediately after the airstrike as the Arab World rightly realised that Israel would launch attacks in any country in the region, if necessary.

Saudi Arabia strongly condemned the September 2025 airstrike in Doha, calling it Israeli aggression. Since then, Doha has strengthened ties with Riyadh. Crown Prince bin Salman, too, has decided to bolster ties with the neighbouring country in an attempt to increase his influence in the Islamic World. Analysts are of the opinion that such a move would help the Saudi Crown Prince to corner Iran in its backyard. It is widely believed among some analysts that the 12-day Iran-Israel War in June 2025 has in some ways made the Saudi Crown Prince’s job easier, primarily by weakening the Islamic Republic‘s regional influence and exposing its military vulnerabilities.

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das