The Ambitions of Israel in West Asia; Beyond Diplomacy, Toward Regional Dominance

The geopolitical landscape of West Asia has been significantly shaped by the actions and ambitions of the Israeli regime. Since its establishment, Israel has pursued a strategy aimed at expanding its influence and legitimizing its existence in a region marked by historical conflicts and deep-seated animosities. The quest for legitimacy has led Israel to engage in diplomatic relations with various Arab and Islamic nations, particularly in the Gulf region, where economic opportunities and strategic alliances abound. This paper delves into the multifaceted goals of Israel in West Asia, examining the interplay of economic, political, security, and geopolitical factors that drive its foreign policy.

Israel’s efforts to normalize relations with Gulf states are not merely diplomatic gestures; they represent a calculated strategy to secure its interests and diminish the significance of the Palestinian issue. By fostering economic ties and military cooperation, Israel aims to create dependencies that bolster its regional standing. Furthermore, the normalization process serves to distract from its ongoing occupation of Palestinian territories, thereby attempting to reshape the narrative surrounding its actions.

The implications of Israel’s relationships with West Asian countries are profound, as they threaten to undermine the unity of the Islamic world and exacerbate existing tensions. This paper will explore the historical context of Israel’s diplomatic endeavors, the motivations behind its actions, and the potential consequences for regional stability. By analyzing these dynamics, we can better understand the challenges posed by Israel’s ambitions and the necessary responses from the international community.

What Are the Factors Influencing the Goals of Israel in West Asia?

The Zionist regime has consistently faced a legitimacy crisis on the international stage and has spent years attempting to establish credibility and reduce its global isolation. By forging relationships with Islamic and Arab countries, this regime seeks to mask its illegal and colonial nature, presenting itself as a normal and accepted entity. However, the goals of Israel in West Asia go far beyond this. Economically, politically, militarily, and in terms of intelligence, it strives to secure its interests in the region.

In recent years, Israel has made extensive efforts to expand its influence across the Middle East, with particular focus on Gulf countries. The presence of abundant energy resources, strategic geopolitical positions, and the potential for economic activities are among the main factors driving Israel’s interest in establishing ties with these nations.

Given its longstanding conflict with Palestinians, the issue of Palestine plays a significant role in all of Israel’s regional interactions. The Zionist regime attempts to sideline the Palestinian issue by engaging with regional countries and redirecting attention to other matters. This strategy is aimed at making the Palestinian issue forgotten and normalizing its occupation and crimes.

Building relations with the Zionist regime has many negative consequences for the region. The only way to counteract the regime’s conspiracies is to maintain unity among Islamic countries, raise public awareness, support resistance movements, and resist external interventions. Israel employs various tools to solidify its position, expand its influence, and weaken the Resistance Front. One such tool is the creation and strengthening of terrorist groups such as ISIS [1].

Israel’s Colonial Objectives in Establishing Relations with Gulf States

The Zionist regime has sought to expand its influence and consolidate its position since its inception. Its efforts to normalize relations with Arab countries, especially those in the Gulf region, are part of a broader strategy aimed at legitimizing its illegal actions and solidifying its occupation [2].

Relations between the Zionist regime and Arab countries have always been marked by ups and downs. After multiple wars and prolonged conflicts, the Camp David Peace Accord between Egypt and Israel in 1979 became a turning point and a transformative moment in these relations. Subsequently, the peace treaty between Israel and Jordan was signed in 1994 [3]. In recent years, we have witnessed the normalization of relations between Israel and several Gulf states, including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain.

This normalization cannot be considered a genuine peace initiative; rather, it is part of a larger strategy and conspiracy to strengthen Israel’s regional position while weakening opposing nations. Expanding influence and gaining control over the region remain some of the primary goals of Israel in West Asia. The regime uses various economic, political, security, and media tools to establish dependencies and infiltrate the structures of these countries.

Economic Objectives

Expanding economic influence in the region and gaining access to new markets in Arab countries—particularly in technology, tourism, and trade—is of special importance to the Zionist regime. By establishing relations with Gulf states, Israel hopes to attract more investments into its economy. Additionally, the regime seeks to participate in infrastructure and development projects in Arab countries to enhance its economic influence further.

Political Objectives

One of the key goals of Israel in West Asia is to strengthen its international standing and gain greater legitimacy through the normalization of relations with Arab countries. The regime also leverages existing regional disputes to create alliances and regional fronts against the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Axis of Resistance. Israel hopes to influence regional policies and secure its interests through its relationships with Arab countries.

Security and Military Objectives

The Zionist regime places significant importance on security, intelligence, and military issues. Strengthening and expanding intelligence and military cooperation, as well as establishing a security shield [4] are among Israel’s primary objectives in forming relationships with Gulf states. These connections allow Israel to infiltrate the security and intelligence structures of these countries further.

Geopolitical Objectives

The Zionist regime seeks to reshape the geopolitical map of the Middle East to its advantage. By forging relations with Gulf states, it aims to consolidate its position and become the dominant regional power. Ultimately, Israel’s goal is to gain control over the region’s energy resources, regulate trade routes, and turn the region into its backyard. Building ties with Gulf countries grants Israel access to exploit these energy resources.

Consequences of Normalizing Relations with Israel

Normalizing relations with Israel has numerous negative and undesirable consequences [5]. These include weakening the Resistance Front, shifting perspectives on the Palestinian cause, increasing pressure on Palestinians, creating divisions among regional countries, escalating tensions and conflicts, facilitating greater foreign intervention, and threatening the national security of regional states.

The only way to counter the conspiracies of the Zionist regime is through maintaining unity and solidarity among Islamic countries, raising public awareness, supporting Palestinian resistance, and resisting foreign interference—actions that, unfortunately, many Arab and Muslim countries in the region neglect. At a time when people worldwide, from different faiths and ethnicities, stand up for the Palestinian cause, certain so-called Muslim leaders remain silent, engaging in covert deals with the criminal Zionist regime.

Israel’s Role in the Formation and Strengthening of ISIS

The terrorist group ISIS, a phenomenon that has wreaked havoc across the Middle East in recent years, has been a topic of significant discussion and analysis. The emergence of ISIS can be attributed to covert policies and regional strategies, particularly by the Zionist regime, aimed at creating division, civil war, and fragmentation within Islamic countries. ISIS served as a tool to foster chaos and insecurity across the region, thereby creating a favorable environment for advancing the interests of the Zionist regime.

Israel’s primary objectives in supporting the establishment of ISIS included weakening the Resistance Front, fostering sectarian divisions, and destroying the infrastructure of Resistance-aligned nations. The Zionists believed that by creating terrorist groups like ISIS, the Resistance Front would become embroiled in internal conflicts and sectarian disputes, diverting their focus from combating Israel.

The promotion of tension and discord between Shia and Sunni Muslims, the weakening of Islamic unity, the tarnishing of Islam’s image, the spread of violence and extremism, the initiation of proxy wars in the region, and the destruction of the infrastructure of Resistance-aligned countries were among the goals Israel pursued through ISIS.

Despite official denials, abundant evidence suggests that the Zionist regime, through its agents and regional intermediaries, provided logistical, intelligence, and medical support to ISIS. One notable example is the transfer of injured ISIS fighters to Israeli hospitals for treatment. This covert support was widely reported, and even leaders have addressed it. As the Supreme Leader of Iran stated:
“ISIS fighters would shout ‘Allahu Akbar’ on the battlefield, but their wounded were treated in Israeli hospitals. High-ranking officials of the Zionist regime would visit them, which was broadcast for everyone to see.” Additionally, there is evidence of collaboration between the intelligence services of the Zionist regime and ISIS in intelligence gathering and conducting terrorist operations.

ISIS was created with the objective of weakening the Resistance Front and its allies. Attacks on Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon, as well as the incitement of religious and ethnic conflicts, were all aimed at undermining this alliance and preventing its influence from expanding. By destroying infrastructure, massacring innocent people, and creating insecurity, ISIS sought to pave the way for greater foreign intervention and to alter regional dynamics in favor of the Zionist regime. Internal wars and sectarian divisions forced regional countries to focus on resolving their domestic crises rather than countering the threats posed by Israel. This scenario provided an ideal opportunity for the Zionist regime to advance its expansionist and occupation policies.

ISIS served as a tool to create a safe buffer zone for the Zionist regime in the region. By fostering war and instability in neighboring countries, Israel could shield itself from potential threats. Additionally, by weakening regional states, Israel found opportunities to expand its influence in the Middle East.

Despite ISIS’s military defeats in Syria and Iraq, the group remains a serious threat in the region. Adopting new tactics and methods, ISIS continues to fight for its survival. The emergence of groups like “Tahrir al-Sham,” which has become active following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad government in Syria, reflects a shift in the outward appearance of terrorist groups, though they retain the same brutal nature as ISIS.

The Zionist regime and its supporters continue to back ISIS and other terrorist organizations in the region. They exploit every opportunity to fuel religious and ethnic tensions and to instigate proxy wars. The only way to counter these conspiracies is through unity and solidarity among Islamic nations and vigilance against the plots of enemies. Islamic countries must protect their security and independence by remaining alert and resisting these threats. Additionally, educating the public is essential to prevent a repeat of past mistakes and the resurgence of terrorist groups.

The goals of Israel in West Asia highlight its efforts to consolidate influence and maintain a balance of power in its favor. Normalizing relations with Islamic and Arab countries serves to sideline the Palestinian issue while securing economic, political, security, and geopolitical interests—core goals of Israel in the region.

The creation and strengthening of terrorist groups like ISIS represent another facet of the Zionist regime’s conspiracies to achieve its sinister and colonial ambitions. Examining the strategies and goals of Israel in West Asia underscores that the only effective response to its plots is maintaining unity and solidarity among Muslims, raising public awareness, and supporting the Resistance. This approach can protect the independence and security of Islamic countries while ensuring a safe and sustainable future for the region and the world. Israel poses not only a threat to the region but also a grave danger to humanity and the entire world. It must be entirely eradicated from the face of the earth.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the goals of Israel in West Asia reflect a strategic pursuit of influence and power, aimed at consolidating its position while marginalizing the Palestinian issue. The normalization of relations with Arab and Islamic countries serves as a tool for Israel to achieve its economic, political, security, and geopolitical goals. However, these actions carry significant risks, including the potential destabilization of the region and the weakening of resistance movements. The establishment and support of terrorist groups like ISIS further illustrate Israel’s willingness to employ various means to secure its interests.

To counteract these threats, it is imperative for Islamic nations to maintain unity and solidarity, raise public awareness, and support resistance efforts. Only through collective action can the region safeguard its independence and security, ensuring a stable and peaceful future. Israel poses not only a regional threat but also a global danger, necessitating a concerted effort to address its actions and ultimately eliminate its influence from the world stage.

Reference

[1]. “Yaalon Admits Tacit Israel-Daesh Alliance: Report.” Press TV, 24 Apr. 2017.

[2]. Bouabdallah, Saada. “Arab-Israeli Normalisation and Its Effects.” Rimak Journal. 5 (2024): vol. 6.

[3]. Satloff, Robert. “The Jordan-Israel Peace Treaty: A Remarkable Document.” Middle East Forum. 2 (1995): vol. 2.

[4]. Ferdowsipour, Mojtaba. “An Examination of Israel’s Goals in Normalizations of Relations.” Institute for Political and International Studies, 2021.

[5]. Bagheri, Amin. “Consequences of Normalizing Relations with Israel for the GCC.” Middle east political and economic institute.