DOHA, Qatar - As the fighting between Israel and Hamas rages on in Gaza, the oil-rich nations of the Gulf are taking on a bigger role amid continuing diplomatic efforts to end the bloodshed.

This could be seen at the Doha Forum – a yearly get-together of world leaders, senior diplomats and policy analysts which concluded on Dec 11 in the capital of Qatar. Some of the proposals to bring peace to the Middle East remain difficult to implement. Others amount to little more than just flights of fancy. But it’s notable that perhaps, for the first time, all the governments of the Gulf accept that they will have to play a role in pacifying the region once the Gaza fighting stops.