“Middle Eastern nations need to use their influence over regional actors to ensure the Gaza conflict is contained and prevent “an endless cycle of violence.”
(7th January 2024, Arab News, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Middle east Tour)
Peace in the Middle East: Food for Thought
With so many countries with an ideology of removing Israel, they are, without a doubt fighting for their existence. There are many countries around the world demanding a ceasefire no more so than Muslim speaking countries in and around the Middle East.
Unless those demanding a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas can guarantee that nothing like the attack that occurred 7th October 2023 will ever happen against Israel in the future they will continue fighting. As it stands there are more countries against the victim than there are against the aggressors. The appeasement towards the main culprit, Iran, is evident as they continue to wreak havoc throughout the Middle East or West Asia with no one keeping them in check.
The Arab world must take some blame for the current situation between the Palestinians and Israel. Nothing has been, nor would it, do anything to ensure a resolution between Israel, and Palestine was found. All the peace proposals that have been put forward have given a zero result hence todays problem. If any of those peace proposals had any significance then the war with Israel and Hamas would not be happening.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been a long-standing issue, and many countries have attempted to broker peace between the two sides. However, there is no definitive answer to whether any Muslim country has offered a peace proposal that has worked.
The Oslo Accords were signed in September 1993 by the Palestine Liberation Organisation’s Yasser Arafat and Israel’s Labour Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in Washington. The deal was a historic breakthrough as it meant that the PLO recognised the State of Israel for the first time, and Israel recognised the PLO as the representative of the Palestinians. It allowed for the self-administration of major Palestinian population areas by a new Palestinian Authority, led by Arafat, although the majority of the West Bank remained under joint or sole Israeli control. The interim period was supposed to build both mutual trust and Palestinian institutions.
However, the process fell apart and major stumbling blocks remained. The difficult “final status” issues were not resolved by 1999, including the exact borders of a new Palestinian state, the status of Jerusalem, the fate of Palestinian refugees and their descendants, Israel’s settlements, and Israel’s security arrangements. Negotiations continued but ultimately failed.
The Arab Peace Initiative, proposed by Saudi Arabia in 2002, called for Israel to withdraw from the territories it occupied in 1967, including East Jerusalem, in exchange for normalizing relations with Arab countries. The initiative was re-endorsed by the Arab League in 2007 and 2017, but it has not been implemented.
In 1979, Egypt became the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel, followed by Jordan in 1994. However, the peace treaties have not led to a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
There have only been two peace treaties that have stood the test of time.
The peace treaty between Israel and Egypt was called the Egypt–Israel peace treaty. It was signed in Washington, D.C., United States, on 26 March 1979, following the 1978 Camp David Accords. The treaty was signed by Anwar Sadat, President of Egypt, and Menachem Begin, Prime Minister of Israel, and witnessed by Jimmy Carter, President of the United States.
The peace treaty between Israel and Jordan was signed on 26th October 1994. The treaty is formally known as the “Treaty of Peace between the State of Israel and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.” It ended the state of war that had existed between the two countries since the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and established mutual diplomatic relations. The treaty also settled land and water disputes, provided for broad cooperation in tourism and trade, and obligated both countries to prevent their territory being used as a staging ground for military strikes by a third country.
In summary, while some Muslim countries have offered peace proposals between Israel and the Palestinians, none of them have led to a resolution of the conflict. The Arab Peace Initiative, proposed by Saudi Arabia in 2002, called for Israel to withdraw from the territories it occupied in 1967, including East Jerusalem, in exchange for normalizing relations with Arab countries. The initiative was re-endorsed by the Arab League in 2007 and 2017, but it has not been implemented.
Relationships
Saudi Arabia has had strained relations with Hamas due to its ties with Iran. The Saudi’s are partly to blame. Whilst they want the war in Gaza to stop, they fail to address the common factor, Iran. Iran and Saudi Arabia through negotiations using Oman and Iraq but mainly with the help of China signed an agreement in March 2023 to renew diplomatic relations after a seven year period of no diplomatic ties.
If Arab countries had put as much into stopping the smuggling of weapons and other military logistics into Gaza and the West Bank as they do to blaming Israel for the current situation then this whole mess would have been sorted out a long time ago. Israel is blamed for the blockade of the Gaza Strip. But no other country wanted to assist and stop Iran attempting to smuggle weapons, ammunition and other equipment into the Gaza Strip which would upset the equilibrium in the area. Israel was not the only country involved with the blockade. Egypt was also responsible.
Currently even a large number of press and media outlets refer to the conflict as the “Israel Gaza conflict.” They are incorrect.
It is the Israel – Hamas conflict.
Iran, the Palestine Islamic Jihad and Hamas have put the people of Gaza in the firing line with no respect for the ordinary Palestinian. The three are more than comfortable placing innocent civilians and structures to their own use and that is to turn the world against Israel by using propaganda. Remember, Israel did not choose the battle ground for this current conflict.
Now with the Hamas – Israel conflict the Saudis do not want to upset the fragile agreement brokered by China. Whist Iran continues to boast of their new found relationship they are also the ones in the driving seat regarding the Hamas – Israel war.
Iran is the lead vocal calling, for nations to stop supporting Israel by boycotting Israeli goods. They are also the lead voice telling others to rid the region of the United States and the United Kingdom. Iran claims that only regional countries can provide the security needed. Iran has the largest military force in the Middle East and is more than capable of overpowering any other military power with its drone and missile capabilities which have been left unchallenged.
With a weakened United States presence in the Gulf Region Iran could then go the whole hog and produce at least one nuclear device giving it the overall capability to threaten any country putting any resistance to Iran being the overall power in the Region. Even though both Israel and the United States have pledged that Iran would never have ‘the bomb.’
The talks and agreement of 2015/16 gave the Obama administration the upper hand at the time of signing. The Trump administration withdrew from the agreement in 2018 after president trump believed the agreement should have gone further and including Iranian drone and missile capabilities and Iran’s use of their proxies in the region.
Regional Actors who do not want Peace
Hezbollah (The Party of God) – is supported by Syria and of course Iran who are an Asian country. Hezbollah is a Shia Islamist political party and militant group based in Lebanon. Hezbollah has been a long-time ally of the Ba’ath government of Syria, ruled by the Al-Assad family. Hezbollah has helped the Syrian Ba’ath government during the Syrian civil war in its fight against the Syrian opposition, which Hezbollah has described as a “plot to destroy its alliance with al-Assad against Israel.” According to the Institute for the Study of War, Iran and Syria have been the primary supporters of Hezbollah.
The Palestinian Islamic jihad (PIJ) is primarily supported by Iran. The PIJ is a militant group founded with the goal of liberating Palestine through armed struggle and by appealing to the region’s Islamic heritage. Iran provides the group with financial aid, military assistance, and political backing. PIJ is considered a terrorist organization by several countries, including the United States, European Union, Israel, and others. While Iran is a key supporter, the level of support from other Middle Eastern countries varies, and some countries in the region, such as Saudi Arabia, view PIJ with suspicion due to regional rivalries and differing geopolitical interests. The Syrian government, led by Bashar al-Assad, has also provided the group with a safe haven in Damascus.
Saudi Arabia views the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) with suspicion mainly due to regional rivalries and geopolitical considerations. The Saudi government has historically aligned itself with other political actors and groups that share Sunni affiliations. PIJ, being a Shiite-affiliated organization and having close ties with Iran, runs counter to Saudi Arabia's interests in the region. Saudi Arabia has traditionally supported Palestinian groups that align more closely with Sunni interests, such as Fatah, which is led by the Palestinian Authority. These sectarian and geopolitical factors contribute to Saudi Arabia's scepticism and suspicion towards the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Fatah is a Palestinian nationalist and social democratic political party. It was founded in the late 1950s by Yasser Arafat, Mahmoud Abbas, and others. Fatah has had a strong involvement in revolutionary struggle in the past and has maintained a number of militant groups. However, unlike its rival Islamist faction Hamas, Fatah is no longer regarded as a terrorist organization by any government.
Saudi Arabia has recently shifted its stance towards the Palestinian cause, including Hamas and the PIJ. The country has been aligning itself with US and Israeli positions that are hostile to the Palestinian cause. According to Middle East Eye, Saudi Arabia has put dozens of Hamas members and supporters on trial, which is a dangerous shift in its policy towards Hamas and Palestinians. The trials have started nearly a year after Riyadh launched a campaign of arrests targeting dozens of Hamas members and supporters, which included closing their companies, confiscating their money and prohibiting bank transfers. However, the reasons behind Saudi Arabia’s shift in policy towards PIJ are not clear.
Hamas is a Palestinian Sunni Islamist militant group that currently governs the Gaza Strip. According to the US State Department, Hamas is supported by Iran and Turkey. Qatar is also known to have provided financial and political support to Hamas.
Qatar is a key financial backer and ally of the Palestinian militant organization Hamas. Qatar has transferred more than $1.8 billion to Hamas. The current head of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, has resided in Doha since 2016. Qatar has been called Hamas’ most important financial backer and foreign ally. It is important to note that Qatar has denied supporting Hamas’ political position and has stated that its policy is to help facilitate constructive engagement between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority. Qatar’s involvement in negotiations with US enemies, hosting of Hamas leaders, and its role in facilitating military agreements with the US have been reported in the news.
Syria has a long and complicated relationship with Hamas. Hamas’ origins lie in the trans-national Muslim Brotherhood group, which believes politics should be guided by religion and which undertakes social welfare and community activities, but also has an armed wing. Before the rift, Hamas had long kept a political base in Syria, receiving Damascus’ support in its campaign against Israel. However, the Syrian government, led by Bashar al-Assad, has also provided the group with a safe haven in Damascus.
Hamas are not short of funds.
Turkey
Turkey has been a staunch supporter of the Palestinians, including Hamas, for more than 20 years. The presidency of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan began when Erdoğan took the oath of office on 28th August 2014. According to The Times of Israel, Turkey has a long and lasting relationship with Hamas. Turkey has allowed the terror group to keep an office in Istanbul for more than a decade and has kept in touch with Hamas leadership since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023. Turkey’s support for Hamas is also driven by President Erdogan’s ideological affinity for the Muslim Brotherhood which is where the main ideology of Hamas originated from.
Turkey considers Hamas as a liberation and not a terrorist group. Turkish President Erdogan said, “Hamas is not a terrorist organization, it is a liberation group, ‘mujahideen’ waging a battle to protect its lands and people.”
Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has slammed Israel for its ‘shameful methods’ with its war in Gaza. He fails to mention his countless attacks on innocent Kurds. Turkey hosts senior Hamas officials, including Saleh al-Arouri. Hamas head Ismail Haniyeh and former chief Khaled Meshal visit Turkey often. According to Israel's Shin Bet, Hamas has established a command post in Turkey. which it uses to recruit operatives and oversee operations in the Middle East.
The Foundation for Defence of Democracies reported that in December 2023 Hamas leaders held a secret meeting in Turkey. The meeting included the deputy chairman of Hamas’s political bureau, Saleh al-Arouri, along with former Hamas chief Khaled Mashal and other high-ranking Hamas officials. According to the report, the officials discussed potential next steps in the war against Israel (Oct 23), potential involvement by the Lebanese, Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah, and a possible new round of hostage releases.
Turkey provides financial and logistical support to Hamas. The Turkish government has become a stalwart supporter of the Palestinian militant group. Senior Hamas officials, including Saleh al-Arouri (later killed in Lebanon on the 2nd January 2024), are based in Turkey. Hamas head Ismail Haniyeh and former chief Khaled Meshal visit Turkey often.
The Times of Israel reported on the 14th September 2023 that Israel had intercepted 16 tons of chemicals used in rocket fuel headed to the Gaza Strip from Turkey. Authorities say the shipment of ammonium chloride was hidden in containers of plaster, discovered by customs officials at Ashdod port. Ammonium chloride is a dual-use chemical that Israel bars from Gaza due to its potential to be used to construct rockets. Hamas dismissed the find as “fabrication.”
Clearly Turkey wants peace in the Middle East but has done nothing to prevent a conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
Military Support
Hamas, the PIJ and Hezbollah are supported by Iran especially when it comes to supplying weapons and or technology. Middle Eastern intelligence organisations must be aware of how weapons and ammunition are finding their way to these organisations but choose to do nothing. By doing nothing and allowing the Islamic Republic of Iran to supply weapons, training and ammunition to these groups they are inciting unrest, war and the killing of innocent civilians.
There is a constant flow of intelligence and information that crosses between nations. If the west is aware of what is happening then those countries in the Middle East must also be aware. Ignorance is no excuse.
The blockade of the Gaza Strip and Houthi shipping ports are all in place to attempt military logistics being smuggled into those respective locations. It’s all very well countries demanding the lifting of these blockades but unless those countries band together the militant organisations that are being supplied will continue to cause peaceful problems in the Middle East.”
Interfering with the Affairs of Middle eastern Countries
With the assistance of Iran from planning to funding, Hamas (and other proxies in the Region) were able to prepare for the inevitable confrontation with Israel. Iran is as much to blame as are those who chose to ignore the intelligence that they must have found over the years that Iran planned to use a proxy terrorist group to attack Israel.
People have known for a long time that Hamas was building tunnels and that Iran was assisting them. The Islamic Republic of Iran has since it came to be in 1979 sworn to eradicate Israel and over the last four decades built up armies to surround Israel. Hezbollah, Hamas and the Palestine Islamic Jihad movements to name three of the more prominent ones.
Iran supports and funds these organisations for one reason and that is to fight Israel on behalf of the Tehran government so that they can achieve one of their main revolutionary goals. Those who have turned a blind eye to this knowledge are as guilty as any other. After all, if the west know of Iran’s malign activities so does Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Bahrain, Oman and the UAE. Turkey must also be included with these countries. They have dirty hands.
Conclusion
France’s foreign minister Catherine Colonna was not short when she spoke to the Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian when she, “delivered a very clear message: the risk of regional conflagration has never been so great; Iran and its affiliates must immediately cease their destabilizing acts.” The one factor that everyone is failing to not just mention, but also address, is the main culprit in the destabilisation of the Middle east. The second point to be addressed are those who support and give funds to Hamas and other terrorist organisations in the Region because they are Muslim or Arab for, they also threaten peace in the Middle East. Acquiring peace in the Region will be long and complex with politicians and peace makers being in the forefront. But, the Nations of the Middle East, not the Islamic Republic of Iran who must be kept out of all negotiations, must show willingness for any initiative to work. Iran’s plan of ‘neighbourhood policy’ is a method of ‘divide and conquer.’ Encouraging countries in the Middle East to cease having friendly ties with the United States and Israel is nothing short of attempting to dictate who they can and cannot have bonds with. The United States must also shoulder some of the blame. From its ‘listening tours’ to its heads of state visits there will have been an exchange of intelligence. Currently there is still a great deal of support for terrorist organisations in the Middle East that nations must stop in order for peace to move forward. Unless the intelligence organisations of the Middle East support one another in putting a stop to the evil militias in the Region, war, unrest and any notion of peace will never get off the starting blocks. If they want a peaceful Region then they will have to do something about it and not just turn a blind eye to what is happening under their noses and in their own back yard. In order for peace to be achieved in the Middle East, Israel has to be included as it is an integral part of the Region. The other is to isolate and cease the Iranian interference within Middle Eastern countries. It would be a difficult road but one that should be made a priority in order to give those who live in the Region a decent way of life instead of hate.
But for all that to happen, leaders, politicians and lawmakers need to sit down and talk.