Israel's 'new' Middle East, a new failure

While Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu was wrapping up his US Tour campaigning for support for Israeli interests geopolitically and, attempting to clear his reputation from domestic corruption charges, he referenced a “New Middle East” while discussing Israeli normalisation efforts with Saudi Arabia particularly, as well as other Arab-speaking states.

This phrase was also used previously at the UN speaking on new economic alliances with new partners such as India and the potential of new economic alliances to reshape the region. 

The emphasis on an agreement between Saudi Arabia has been heavily pushed by Israel since the initiation of the Abraham Accords and seems like an important bond to create, yet another, “vision” for the region. One, that very shortly after, would be destroyed.

"Be it through proxy wars that propel prop governments, or outright colonisation, the Middle East has not been able to define itself outside of oppression or resisting oppression"

The Arab-speaking world, particularly those neighbouring Israel, has been historically subjected to foreign intervention dictating not only their state borders but in many cases their internal governing bodies as well.

This effort to ‘transform’ the region is not new or unique, even in recent history, nor is the term ‘New Middle East,’ which is widely accredited to former US President George Bush’s 2003 invasion of Iraq.

In that context, it has come to generally refer to the US effort in, rather forcefully, attempting to create their vision of a ‘democratic’ Middle East.

Its negative effects were felt all throughout the region, till this very day. As such, the term already carries a heavy association with imposition, invasion, and intervention. This failed, and problematically utopic intrusion has been a key driver for resentment towards the US and the “West” amongst Arab populations. 

While today the term attempts to rebrand itself and refers to normalised formal relations between certain Arab-speaking states, largely in the Gulf, both uses seem to share similarities, and still, a generally negative connotation. 

What seems to be the overriding commonality in imagining the “Middle East” is that it is to happen, largely, against the consent of the people of the ‘Middle East', against their interests, and from outside powers — a euphemism for imperialism.

Considering the ‘old’ Middle East was also drawn by foreign powers — the Sykes-Picot Agreement — it is not a stretch to assume this is a modern-day adaptation.

The Arab-speaking world and some of its neighbouring countries have not had the ability for true self-governance in centuries. Be it through proxy wars that propel prop governments, or outright colonisation, the Middle East has not been able to define itself outside of oppression or resisting oppression; it has not been able to define itself as, it would seem, others keep beating us to it.

Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Iraq, and Egypt, particularly, have had their borders drawn and redrawn, specifically due to Israeli and American intervention.

Today, the general will of the people, which still remains against normalisation, is overlooked and unimportant as it has been treated historically. 

However, it would seem the Israeli vision for the region must be put on hold. The offensive of the Palestinian resistance is ample evidence that one cannot subject a people to borders they did not consent to.

Operation al-Aqsa Flood, on different occasions by different leaders in the offensive, has particularly called out the normalisation effort. “I say to our fellow allies this occupation is of no use, and that normalisation will be of no use,” Ismail Haniyeh, head of Hamas’ political affairs said.

“Our brothers in the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen, today is when your resistance merges with the resistance of your brothers in Palestine. It is time for the Arab resistance to unite. We call for mobilisation towards Palestine. Brothers in Algeria, Morocco, Jordan, Egypt and the rest of the Arab countries, take action and heed the call," remarked Mohammed al-Deif, commander in chief of the Qassam Brigades. 

Last week, referencing the potential Saudi-Israeli normalisation, Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Lebanese group Hezbollah, said that it is equivalent to an attack on al-Aqsa (an Islamic holy site) and a "stab in the back of the Palestinian people" and an “abandonment of Palestine.”

This sentiment is felt by numerous political groups, states, and populations in the Arab-speaking world, and with large-scale support rallies for the Palestinians in countries including Yemen, Jordan, and Turkey, amongst others, the region resists yet another external re-definition.

Even in countries that have normalisation agreements, such as Morocco, the population still rallied in their support for Palestine, emphasising that pieces of paper cannot define the will of a people.

"Today, the general will of the people, which still remains against normalisation, is overlooked and unimportant as it has been treated historically"

This operation is a strong indication that a group of people can only be oppressed for so long, and decisions on their behalf, without their inclusion, will ultimately be unsuccessful. 

And while the Israeli occupation has declared war on Gaza and pledged to retaliate at its full capacity with US aircraft flying into support, the official Saudi reaction is we told you so.

Part of the official Saudi statement reads: “The Kingdom recalls its repeated warnings of the dangers of the explosion of the situation as a result of continued occupation, the deprivation of the Palestinian people of their legitimate rights, and the repetition of systematic provocation against its sanctities.”

While the UAE, which has normalised relations called for calm from both sides. Qatar has called out the occupation as the motivating factor in this offensive.

Through previous discussions, the Saudi camp repeatedly repeated the importance of resolution with the Palestinians, and through their disregard of this promise to other Arab states with normalised relations, and the ongoing events, it seems this may be off the table for a while. 

Operation al-Aqsa Flood highlights the absolute failure of normalisation and has put, a hopefully indefinite hold, on the US-Israeli effort to redraw the region, yet again.

Nadine Sayegh is a multidisciplinary writer and researcher covering the Arab world. For over ten years, she has covered a variety of both social and geopolitical issues including gender in the region, human security, and the Occupied Palestinian Territories