'Agility vs depth': How the Mecca pact stacks up against the UAE-Israel alliance

This summer, a senior UAE diplomat, Lanna Nusseibeh, held consultations with a US ally in Europe. The meeting was unremarkable but informative because of the impression the European country's officials walked away with.

“The UAE is totally aligned with Israel. It’s crystal clear that the partnership has no limits,” a European official who was in the meeting told Middle East Eye.

That clarity contrasts with the questions swirling in corridors of power - from the US to Asia - about the Mecca Agreement, which unites Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan under a mutual defence pact that many see as rivalling the UAE-Israel partnership. 

Western and Arab officials are still trying to decipher just how aligned Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey are, let alone whether they can back each other up in a hot conflict. 

Read more: 'Agility vs depth': How the Mecca pact stacks up against the UAE-Israel alliance