Israel's Fight for a New Middle East

One year after the horrible events of October 7, Israel continues to fight on multiple fronts to both secure the release of the remaining hostages and ensure its very survival.

Owing to its military successes, Israel has begun to shape the next phase of war. It has articulated its vision for a post-war Middle East based not on terror but on peace, trade, and shared prosperity. It has also subtly turned the focus of the fight to Iran.

Israel’s Vision for the Middle East

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to the United Nations General Assembly laid out the “blessing” that is available to the Middle East. This vision creates an economic trade route from India to Europe, through the Middle East.

He displayed a map that he said, “…shows Israel and its Arab partners forming a land bridge connecting Asia and Europe. Between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, across this bridge, we will lay rail lines, energy pipelines, and fiber optic cables, and this will serve the betterment of 2 billion people.”

The template for this peace is the Abraham Accords. Negotiated during the Trump presidency, these bilateral Israeli — Arab agreements normalized relations with Israel’s neighbors and opened their countries for trade, investment, tourism, and travel.

Israel signed 4 such agreements, including with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan. This follows other normalization agreements with majority Muslim countries such as Egypt, Jordan, and Kosovo.

Since the signing of these 7 agreements, trade with Abraham Accord countries has increased by over 500% from 2020 through 2023. Official figures understate the true magnitude as they exclude several industries; a more accurate tally that includes areas such as natural gas, water, defense, and cyber puts 2023 trade at ~$10 billion.

Critical to this vision is the normalization of relations with Saudi Arabia. Negotiations were reportedly close to finalization prior to October 7. Iran instigated the attack on Israel in part due to its fear of an Israel — Saudi Arabia peace deal.

Netanyahu emphasized the significance of peace with Saudi Arabia in his UN speech, declaring, “peace… would usher in a historic reconciliation between the Arab world and Israel, between Islam and Judaism, between Mecca and Jerusalem.”

Dismantling Iran’s Terror Network

Achieving this blessing requires removing the threat of terror that pervades the region. Israel is fighting a 7-front war: against Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Houthis in Yemen, Shiite militias in Iraq and Syria, terrorists in the West Bank, and Iran directly.

According to the Israel Defense Force, since October 7, 2023, over 26,000 missiles and rockets have been fired at the country from Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, Yemen, and Syria.

Hamas has been dismantled as a formal military and Israel is doing the same with Hezbollah, leaving Iran exposed and threatened. Iran senses the war is moving to a new phase in which the world’s focus is on it and not its proxies. Hence the launching of over 200 ballistic missiles last week against Israel and reports that Ayatollah Khamenei was moved to a secure location.

Sensing the historic opportunity, exiled Crown Prince of Iran, Reza Pahlavi (son of the last Shah of Iran), posted a 4-minute video to X, calling for the end of the theocratic regime and offering to lead the transition to a new democratic government.

The window for a new Middle East is here. Israel is showing the way.