Israel’s victories usher in a new era: Time to realign power in the Middle East
Iran’s ability to control affairs in the Middle East has been paralyzed, as has Russia’s influence over the region.
By Jason Shvili
JNS
Dec 26, 2024
Israel is almost single-handedly putting the global jihad out of business and has opened a new era in the Middle East. But instead of expressing gratitude to Israel for its unprecedented success against the forces of barbarism, the West has chastised it and, in many cases, even tried to prevent it from destroying the jihadis.
What’s worse, the United States and its Western allies risk missing a singular opportunity to shift the global balance of power to our advantage. Indeed, it behooves the West to seize this extraordinary moment of Islamist weakness to reshape politics and policies in the Middle East.
While U.S. President Joe Biden has repeatedly touted his “ironclad” support for Israel, his administration has obstructed Israel’s campaign against the terrorists. If Jerusalem had followed all of Biden’s directives, Iran’s “axis of resistance” would still be flourishing. Thus, it’s ironic, even laughable, that Team Biden is now trying to take credit for Israel’s success.
European nations have been most unhelpful, recognizing a Palestinian state that doesn’t exist and backing baseless accusations of genocide and war crimes against Israel at the United Nations and in international kangaroo courts.
Israel’s utter destruction of Iran’s proxies, Hamas and Hezbollah, as well as decimating Iran’s military assets, has crippled the Islamic Republic’s influence in the region. It has also opened the door for the United States and/or Israel to attack its nuclear weapons program.
Other Middle East entities may also come into play. The recent fall of Syrian dictator Bashar Assad, due in no small part to Israel’s paralyzing of Hezbollah, has also weakened Russia’s clout. With power vacuums in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria, rich opportunities will surely arise to expand influence and even territory, depending on the actions of the new, revitalized U.S. government, as well as of Israel and Turkey.
Biden’s White House obstructed Israel’s efforts to defeat Iran’s “axis of resistance.” For starters, Team Biden pressured Israel not to conduct land assaults on Gazan cities like Khan Yunis and Rafah, key bastions of Hamas’s terror network. It was in Rafah, in the southern part of Gaza, that Israeli forces found and killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind of the Oct. 7 massacre, and thousands of Hamas fighters.
Team Biden also pressured Israel immensely in a failed attempt to force a premature ceasefire, which would have left Hamas terrorists in control of Gaza and primed to attack Israel again. After futile efforts to block Israel’s invasion of Lebanon, Biden did succeed in pushing Israel into a ceasefire with Hezbollah by withholding weapons shipments.
Bizarrely, after all Biden’s efforts to restrain Israel from its military successes, Biden now has the chutzpah to take credit for Israel’s work, claiming his “approach has shifted the balance of power in the Middle East.”
Europe has been increasingly hostile toward Israel’s campaign against the global jihad. Despite violent attacks and uprisings in many European capitals by radical Islamist populations, the Europeans have worked to prevent Israel’s success against the global jihad. Spain, Ireland and Norway recognized a non-existent Palestinian state, rewarding the Palestinians for their genocidal Oct. 7 massacre of Israeli Jews. Several European countries have also indicated they would honor the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrants on trumped-up charges against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
In addition to the United States, the following nations ceased or suspended weapons shipments and licenses to Israel: Canada, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, the United Kingdom and France.
Israel has defeated Iran’s campaign to exert hegemony over the Middle East. Despite Western resistance, Israel has managed to destroy the leadership and terrorist infrastructures of Hamas and Hezbollah, as well as Iran’s ICBM production, missile-defense systems and a secret nuclear weapons lab. Iran’s power to influence affairs in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza lies crippled.
Israel’s dismantling of Hezbollah also allowed Syrian rebels to overthrow the Assad regime. These momentous accomplishments mean Iran can no longer use Syria to smuggle weapons to Hezbollah. It also signals a weakening of Russian influence in the Middle East, as Assad was a key Russian ally. His overthrow has triggered a mass exodus of Russian military forces from Syria.
Defeat of Iran’s allies and defenses exposes its nuclear weapons program to attack. Israel’s victories against Iran and its axis of resistance have left the Islamic Republic so severely debilitated that it can no longer deter strikes on its nuclear program. It knows any false moves in the region are certain to invite a crushing response by the United States or Israel.
The United States and Israel can now regain their positions as leading powers in the Middle East. Before and during Israel’s anti-jihadist campaign, due largely to perceptions of U.S. weakness, Arab countries began building closer relations with China and Russia. For example, the Saudis restored diplomatic relations with Iran last year through a deal brokered by China. Today, with Iran and Russia severely weakened, the incoming Trump administration can bring the Arab states back into the American fold.
Likewise, Israel now controls wide protective buffer zones in Gaza, Lebanon, and, most recently, Syria. Indeed, Arab Druze villages in southern Syria have unanimously requested that Israel annex their territory since democratic Israeli rule would be far preferable to living under Sunni Islamist radicals, who would treat them ruthlessly as second-class citizens.
Welcome to a new balance of power in the Middle East. Before Oct. 7, 2023, Iran was on the cusp of regional hegemony with strong backing from Russia. Thanks to Israel, Iran’s ability to control affairs in the Middle East has been paralyzed, as has Russia’s influence over the region. Though challenges remain, the West, led by the United States, now holds the advantage.
Still, Iran is down, but not out. It can rebuild its strength if allowed to. Turkey, whose leader is a fervently anti-Israel Islamist, has also gained power and influence after supporting the rebels who overthrew Assad. Israel and the United States must be vigilant, lest an Islamist Turkey replace Islamist Iran as the Middle East’s new chief belligerent.
Israel’s extraordinary success against the Iran-led global jihad has given the United States and its Western allies a golden opportunity to reshape the Middle East for the better—an opportunity that should be carefully apprised and capitalized on.
Originally published by Facts and Logic About the Middle East (FLAME).
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