Israel’s New Mideast Chessboard: Pawns of Peace and Territory

In the new Mideast chessboard, Israel is moving its pawns towards peace with Syria and Lebanon, but the game is complicated by the unyielding demand for territory. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar stated on Monday that Israel is interested in establishing formal diplomatic relations, viewing Iran’s perceived weakening as an opportunity, but emphasized the Golan Heights are non-negotiable.
This strategic move follows a tumultuous period in the Middle East, marked by two years of conflict in Gaza, Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon against Hezbollah, and the overthrow of Iran-backed Bashar al-Assad in Syria. Israeli officials perceive these shifts as creating an opening for new diplomatic alignments.
Saar explicitly articulated Israel’s interest in bringing “countries such as Syria and Lebanon” into the fold of normalization, emphasizing the need to safeguard “Israel’s essential and security interests.” This initiative seeks to expand upon the Abraham Accords of 2020, which normalized relations with the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco – a move that was met with significant public disapproval across the Arab world.
However, a high-ranking Syrian official, wishing to remain anonymous, reiterated Syria’s unwavering claim to the Golan Heights and insisted that any normalization efforts must align with the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative. This comprehensive proposal calls for full diplomatic recognition of Israel in exchange for its withdrawal from all territories occupied in 1967, including the Golan, West Bank, and Gaza, along with the establishment of a Palestinian state. Israel’s rejection of Palestinian statehood as a precondition, citing security concerns, highlights the deep ideological chasm preventing easy reconciliation on this complex chessboard.