The channel comes from Middle East Broadcasting Centre, launched 11 years ago by Saudi Sheikh Waleed Al Ibrahim, and is being backed by £182m provided by Saudi, Kuwaiti and Lebanese businessmen.
The launch of Al Arabia is being seen as a move by Saudi Arabia in particular to get its message across to the Arab world, where there is only grudging support for an attack on Iraq.
Al Jazeera, dubbed "The Arab CNN", is based in Qatar, which will be home to US Central Command if an attack is launched against Iraq, putting the Gulf state in the frontline of any war. Analysts believe that Al Jazeera may turn the spotlight on other Arab states more hostile to an American-led attack, in an effort to protect Qatar from accusations of pro-Americanism.
Al Arabia is scheduled to launch on February 20, but if a war breaks out early, executives at the station say they will be ready.
If there is a war in Iraq, the television station that wins the fight for viewers will likely ensure it has a bright future.
Al Jazeera, which was virtually unknown outside of the Gulf before the war in Afghanistan, made a name for itself in the west as the channel that broadcast videos of Osama bin Laden.
Last month, Al Jazeera began moves toward becoming a major force in the US by beefing up the news network's Washington editorial staff.
Al Jazeera has also launched English subtitles for many of its programmes, and English translations of network transcripts appear on its website.
Within the next year or so, producers hope to debut English-language shows tailored specifically to American audiences and it already claims more than 135,000 subscribers in the US.
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