Press in the Emirates, Turkey, Israel and Greece reads the election in light of the Iran war and the relationship with Israel

In several countries around the Middle East, the press interprets the congressional election above all through the Iran war and the relationship between the USA and Israel. The basis is projections according to which the Democrats win the Senate and the House of Representatives. There is no official final result yet.

United Arab Emirates: stability before division. The Abu Dhabi newspaper The National writes in an editorial (4 November, 14:08 CET) that the Iran conflict has become an issue in US domestic politics through the cost of living: “military decisions abroad carry political consequences at home”. A Democratic Congress could make money and backing for a long deployment more difficult. Trump, however, retains great influence, and a rapid change of course is not to be expected. The Gulf states should continue to deal pragmatically with both camps. The paper addresses a warning to Tehran not to read the pressure on Trump as an invitation to exploit the division in the USA or to drag out negotiations.

Turkey: a reckoning with Israel policy. The pro-government newspaper Sabah headlines on 5 November (05:00 CET) “ABD halkı İsrail'e desteği sandığa gömdü” (The American people have buried support for Israel at the ballot box). As reasons for the Republicans' defeat, the report by Selçuk Eren cites the closeness to Israel, the Iran war and rising prices. It highlights election winners who take a critical view of Israel, among them Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan.

Israel and Greece, as reported in Turkey. The newspaper Hürriyet (4 November, 09:56 CET) summarises voices from both countries. According to it, the Israeli newspaper Maariv speaks of a double blow and headlines “Kaybeden sadece Trump değil” (Trump is not the only loser). Many opponents of military aid to Israel have been elected to Congress, which could usher in a new phase in relations with Washington. According to Hürriyet, the Greek newspaper Kathimerini expects the Democrats to restrain the president above all through the budget, to seek an end to the Iran war and to take a more critical approach to Israel. The original articles by Maariv and Kathimerini have not been checked here directly.

What the voices have in common is that they see the Iran war as an important reason for the result. The tone differs: The National warns of instability and urges both sides to show restraint, while Sabah regards the result as a rejection of Israel. These are the views of the respective media. More press voices are under reports, and what the new Congress can do from January is in the timeline.