The new defence agreement between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan could trigger wider geopolitical shifts, potentially strengthening Israel’s relations with India, as well as its cooperation with Cyprus and Greece, according to an analysis by the Jerusalem Post.
The so-called “Mecca Pact”, signed on 7 August, is presented by the Israeli newspaper as one of the most significant changes to the regional security architecture in recent years.
Particular attention is given to its mutual defence clause, which the Jerusalem Post compares to NATO’s Article 5: an attack on one of the participating states would be treated as an attack on all.
Netanyahu-Modi call draws attention
The analysis links the Mecca Pact to a telephone conversation held a day earlier between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.
For New Delhi, Pakistan’s participation is particularly significant. India and Pakistan have a longstanding rivalry, while the new grouping combines Saudi Arabia’s economic power, Turkey’s growing defence industry and Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal.
Following the agreement, reports appeared in Turkish and Pakistani media claiming India was urgently seeking a similar defence pact with Israel.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs dismissed the reports as “fake news”, but confirmed it was closely monitoring developments surrounding the new trilateral agreement.
IMEC economic corridor enters the equation
According to the analysis, the potential implications extend beyond defence.
Saudi Arabia occupies a central position in the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), a major project intended to connect India with Europe through the Middle East and the port of Haifa.
Turkey was excluded from the original plans and has promoted competing routes. According to the Jerusalem Post, closer strategic ties between Ankara and Riyadh could give Turkey greater influence over a country that plays a pivotal role in IMEC.
The closer relationship between Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan is also seen as potentially complicating prospects for normalisation between Riyadh and Jerusalem and Saudi Arabia’s possible future participation in the Abraham Accords.
Cyprus and Greece seen as part of counterweight
The Jerusalem Post analysis also focuses on the potential implications for Cyprus and Greece in the Eastern Mediterranean.
It notes that as the once-close strategic relationship between Israel and Turkey deteriorated following Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s rise to power, Israel adjusted its regional strategy and developed closer security and energy ties with Greece and Cyprus.
According to the analysis, those relationships could deepen further following the Mecca Pact, with Athens and Nicosia sharing Israeli concerns over the possibility of an expanding Turkish footprint in the Eastern Mediterranean.
A new geopolitical grouping centred on Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan could therefore encourage greater convergence between a different set of countries, with Israel, India, Greece and Cyprus holding distinct but potentially complementary interests.
The Jerusalem Post suggests that the Netanyahu-Modi telephone conversation may have been an early indication of the new “counter-alignments” that could emerge following the Mecca Pact.
Israeli minister calls alliance ‘very concerning’
Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli has described the newly formed alliance as a “very dangerous and very concerning development” for Israel’s security.
He particularly highlighted Saudi Arabia’s partnership with Turkey, arguing that Ankara is in direct confrontation with Israel and that tensions could escalate with serious consequences in the Mediterranean and on the Syrian front.
In response to the changing regional balance, Chikli called for Israel to deepen its strategic relationships with Cyprus and Greece, as well as the United Arab Emirates and Somaliland.
Also read: Netanyahu rejects Trump’s latest 15-point Gaza peace plan
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