2023-10-10 10:59:13
Before the interview of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Fox News, it was not the same as after. Its most important part is his saying that “Saudi Arabia is getting closer every day to establishing peace relations with Israel.” This was true before the war that Hamas started, and it is also true after it, and it is true specifically because of the strategic meanings of this war, as it is a decisive Iranian coup against the path of peace in the Middle East, which, when it happens, will be the most important event in the Middle East since the end of the Cold War. As stated in Prince Mohammed’s statements.
Talking about peace may seem strange in the context of the seismic events taking place in the region. However, it is precisely at such moments that talking about peace becomes more urgent. What we are experiencing today and for weeks and perhaps months to come is not just an internal conflict between two parties; It is a complete coup against the path of comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace. Accordingly, the Arab peace camp is in dire need of strategic and moral clarity regarding what is relevant to shaping the Arab future, and the future of the entire region, including Israel.
The ongoing war, despite the emotional outburst it has generated, as a result of the arrogance of one of the worst governments in the history of Israel, is a sure invitation to reproduce the past that was tried for many decades and produced nothing but a series of tragedies and misery.
Today’s political and elite position, Arab and Israeli, will not only determine the immediate outcome of the current conflict, but will also pave the way for the geopolitical landscape in the region for decades to come.
The current situation brings back memories of the mid-nineties, when Iran sponsored a series of suicide bombings inside Israel, which contributed to fueling Israeli right-wing options and ultimately led to the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and the entire peace process. Iranian investment in Palestinian suicide bombers and the strengthening of right-wing trends within Israel effectively ended all prospects for peace, paving the way for the Second Intifada and dissipating the foundations of the Oslo Accords.
Today, as in the 1990s, Iran has pushed all of Gaza into the largest mass suicide operation to achieve the same goals, on a larger scale that undermines specific Arab options that seek to take the region in a direction different from the vision of the mullahs’ regime.
Before the outbreak of war, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei warned that “those betting on peace are betting on a losing horse,” while Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi denounced any attempts at normalization with Israel, describing them as “reactionary.” Although the coincidence between this Iranian discourse and the Hamas war raises urgent questions about the role that Iran played in Hamas’ decision, the contacts that Raisi made with both the head of the Hamas political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, and the Secretary-General of the Islamic Jihad movement Ziad Al-Nakhalah, does not leave much room for doubt that we are facing a multilateral entity that works in concert within a specific strategic vision. As for the goals, the statements of the Chief of the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, were clear when he said about the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation: “Desperate efforts such as the ridiculous presentation of the normalization process will not be able to slow the decline and collapse of this spider’s web,” in reference to Israel. .
In this sense, we are in the middle of a conflict between two completely contradictory projects. What is also new is that the current peace paths between the Arab countries and Israel, especially the Abrahamic Agreement, and the potential Saudi peace path, constitute a qualitative shift in Middle East diplomacy. Unlike previous peace agreements or initiatives that were often reached under significant American and European influence, these new agreements are largely driven by the organic interests of the regional stakeholders themselves. The focus is not limited to political positions or achieving international expectations only, but rather on mutual economic gains, technological cooperation, security partnerships, and the development of trade lines and supply chains that are intended to place the entire Middle East at the heart of the international economic equation, with and without oil.
This peace process, rooted in the local dynamics and needs of the countries involved, lends these initiatives a degree of authenticity and sustainability that previous efforts have often lacked. Therefore, Iran is right to view this development as a radical turning point, as a reflection of the changing attitudes within the Arab world towards Israel, and not merely a response to peaceful visions imposed from abroad.
It is important for Palestinians to understand that this internal drive for peace paths gives them greater resilience in the face of the geopolitical ebbs and flows that have bedeviled previous peace attempts.
The peace led by specific countries in the region, and which Iran confronts with its most powerful war maneuvers, is not just peace treaties and political agreements, but rather a framework for a new type of regional partnership, in the capabilities, capabilities and stability of the entire region.
Saudi-Iranian reconciliation, experimenting with opening doors with the Assad regime, trying to find a political solution to the Yemen crisis, and the Kingdom’s focus in its dialogues with Washington on achieving Palestinian national rights, and other political initiatives; All of them flow into inviting everyone to benefit from a new Arab proposal for a new Middle East promising prosperity and stability.
In the face of this, Iran and its allies chose for the region’s past to be its future, with all its tragedies and misery. In this context, only time will reveal the extent of the opportunity lost to the Palestinians as a result of this war.
As for those interested in peace, from the people of the Middle East, they must move forward with those who attended and loved.
Now is the time for a firm commitment to peace. Anything less than that gives Iran a huge regional victory that will help it shape the features of the Middle East according to its vision and project.
This is a watershed moment that requires the highest degree of strategic clarity and moral courage.
Demand peace today, enforce it tomorrow, preserve it for the future.
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