Beyond Gaza: Israel’s Bid for Broader Regional Integration

Moving beyond the immediate confines of the Gaza conflict, Israel is embarking on a significant bid for broader regional integration, with Foreign Minister Gideon Saar expressing interest in establishing formal ties with Syria and Lebanon. This diplomatic initiative, announced on Monday, is underpinned by the belief that Iran’s influence has waned, particularly after the recent 12-day war, creating an unprecedented opportunity for new alliances.
Central to Israel’s position is the non-negotiable status of the Golan Heights. Saar emphatically stated that this territory, captured from Syria in 1967 and annexed in 1981, will remain part of Israel. This stance immediately creates a fundamental disagreement with Syria and a significant portion of the international community, who consider the Golan occupied Syrian land, despite President Donald Trump’s recognition of Israeli sovereignty.
This aspiration for wider normalization follows the precedent set by the 2020 Abraham Accords, which formalized relations with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco. While these agreements marked a new era of regional diplomacy, they were widely unpopular among Arab populations, suggesting that future normalization efforts will face considerable public and political challenges.
A significant obstacle lies in the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, which a senior Syrian official stated must be the framework for any normalization. This initiative calls for full Arab recognition of Israel in exchange for its complete withdrawal from occupied territories, including the Golan, and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. Israel’s Foreign Minister, however, deemed conditioning normalization on Palestinian statehood “not constructive” and a threat to Israel’s security, highlighting a profound ideological chasm.