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The EU has offered support to the latest Saudi effort to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, promising to hold a summit in Brussels later this month for the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution. At the first EU-GCC summit, held in mid-October, the Europeans also agreed to revive discussions on a trade deal, some 16 years after talks were suspended due to differences over human rights.

The 88-year-old Saudi monarch has had a series of health scares in recent years, but has recovered from the latest incident according to the Royal Court.

Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani has called for a change to the constitution to stop the election of two-thirds of the seat in the Shura Council, with all of the chambers members to be directly appointed instead. The plan will be put to a referendum, but it is unlikely much popular opposition will be allowed.

The 1,000-metre Jeddah Tower project ground to a halt in 2018, after about a third of its 157 floors had been completed, amid a crisis at construction giant Binladin Group and shortly after Kingdom Holding’s Prince Alwaleed found himself caught up in the crown prince’s anti-graft campaign. Work is now restarting, with Binladin Group once again signed up for the task.

The barrage of up to 200 ballistic missiles Tehran fired at Israel on 1 October was the latest in a series of escalatory steps taken by Israel and Iran, as a conflict that began in Gaza a year ago threatens to spread across the region. Arab Gulf states have largely been bystanders to the events, but could yet fulfil important roles – by providing mediation, influencing allies and helping to stabilise energy markets.

An eight-bedroom mansion bought for Prince Khalid Bin Salman in 2017 for $12m has been sold after five years on the market. Over that time the asking price for the Washington-area property has been cut from $14m to $11.8m.

The clampdown on alleged citizenship fraud began in May, with three waves of cancellations since late August. At the same time, the government is making it harder for foreigners to acquire Kuwaiti citizenship.

President Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan (MBZ)’s visit to the White House on 23 September was the first by a sitting UAE head of state. Against a backdrop of rising violence in Gaza, Lebanon and Sudan, the main breakthroughs were promises of greater co-operation in defence and artificial intelligence.

Qatar is to become the first Arab country in the US Visa Waiver Programme from December, while the UAE has signed up to the US Global Entry Programme.

Dubai Crown Prince and federal defence minister Sheikh Hamdan witnessed the signing of several agreements during his two-day trip to Tashkent.

The consequences of the UAE’s involvement in Sudan’s civil war – where Abu Dhabi has been identified as a key supporter of Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti)’s Rapid Support Forces militia – appears to be increasing, with four of its servicemen alleged to have been killed in South Darfur and the Emirati ambassador’s residence in Khartoum coming under attack.

Some 100 political detainees are thought to be among the 340 inmates released from Jau Prison on 23 September, in what is the third major wave of prisoner releases this year.

Three and a half years on from the Al-Ula declaration, which ended the 2017-21 regional boycott of Doha, the number of Saudi visitors to Qatar continues to rise, while Qatar Airways is increasing its services to the kingdom.

King Salman Bin Abdulaziz issued a royal order on 19 September approving the by-laws of the King Salman Foundation, a non-profit body focusing on cultural issues.

In decades past, Saudi Arabia used to try and extend its international influence by leveraging its status as the home of Islam’s holiest cities and by funding mosques and madrassas around the world. That strategy often drew unfavourable attention and these days it seems to pay more attention to garnering favourable coverage from social media influencers or hosting sporting events. Might artificial intelligence offer another path to promote its soft power status?