Recently, Israel's military incursions in the Gaza Strip have aroused widespread concern and condemnation from the international community. Although most countries are calling on Israel to stop its conflict, some Western countries are backing Israel and "exercising the right to self-defense". This partiality has sparked strong resentment in the Arab world and has also doubled the pressure on Middle Eastern oil countries.
In the face of the bias of Western countries, the Arab countries realized that they had to act. OPEC members said in a recent statement that they would continue to voluntarily cut oil production by 2.2 million barrels per day. Saudi Arabia and other countries have extended voluntary production cuts until the end of March next year, and Russia will also increase the size of the cuts. In addition, OPEC members, including Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria and Oman, have also announced that they will continue to cut production in the first quarter of next year.
This decision shows the dissatisfaction of OPEC members with Western countries and their attempts to counter them by controlling the oil market. This move will not only put pressure on international oil prices, but also have an important impact on European energy**, causing Europe to face the threat of a new round of energy crisis. In this way, the Middle Eastern oil states hope to send a strong signal to the West that they will have to suffer more economic losses if they continue to support Israel's military operations.
In addition to the impact on the oil market, the conflict in the Middle East has had a direct impact on the international maritime industry. Recently, a number of merchant ships have been seized or attacked by drones in Middle Eastern waters, which has worried many shipping companies. Some merchant ships have had to take detours out of the Middle East due to safety concerns, resulting in a significant increase in the cost of ocean freight.
At the same time, the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is expected to lead to war insurance premiums**. Due to the increased risk of war, insurers may raise premiums for ships and cargo, which will place an additional burden on the international** and economy. These headwinds have further exacerbated the unease in the international shipping industry.
As a member of the Middle East oil states, Saudi Arabia and other countries can exert pressure on Israel and Western countries by controlling the oil market, although they cannot openly counter them. This will not only make them feel the pain of the economy, but it will also force them to reconsider their position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
In this process, OPEC members' production cuts have played an important role. By reducing oil production, they can control** in the international market and push up oil prices in order to achieve countermeasures against Western countries. The economic impact of this counteraction on Western countries is obvious, and they will face a series of problems such as oil costs, energy difficulties, etc., which will force them to take a more rational and just stance on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict to a certain extent.
It can be seen that the Middle East oil countries are trying to seek countermeasures against Israel and Western countries by controlling the oil market and taking OPEC production cuts. Although they cannot openly express their opposition, through economic means, they are expected to force them to reconsider their position in support of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In this geopolitical game, the Middle Eastern oil countries are not only safeguarding their own interests, but also making efforts for peace and stability in the Gaza Strip.
To sum up, in the face of the West's partiality in support of Israel, the Middle East oil countries have chosen to counteract by controlling the oil market and reducing oil production. In doing so, they hope to send a strong signal to Western countries that support Israel's military action will lead to oil market turmoil and an energy crisis. This counteraction will not only safeguard the interests of the Middle East oil countries, but also help promote the peace process in the Gaza Strip. In the ongoing geopolitical game, the oil countries in the Middle East are working hard to promote the international community to adopt a more just and balanced attitude towards the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.