The Attacks on Israel Show Us Just How Close the Middle East Is—or Was—to Peace

Demonstrators attend a rally in solidarity with Israel in Los Angeles on Oct. 10, 2023. Ethan Swope/Getty Images

Commentary

It might seem counterintuitive to some, but the brutal and horrific attacks on Israel show just how close the Middle East is—or was—to taking a generational step toward peace.

Rumors recently started swirling that Saudi Arabia and Israel were approaching economic and diplomatic normalization. Coming out of the 2020 Abraham Accords negotiated under former President Donald Trump, first the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, and Sudan “normalized” diplomatic and economic relations with Israel. Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, has been talking about such normalization for three years now—without any official results to show for it.

That’s why this is an important moment, and it helps explain the timing of Hamas’s attacks: If normalization actually occurred, Saudi Arabia would be well positioned to gain new regional and eventually global standing. It would also be an unprecedented success and an essential part of securing the peaceful and prosperous future of the Middle East.

But Iran, being Saudi Arabia’s ancient and primary rival, is desperate to prevent Saudi ascendancy—so, while evidence currently remains lacking for its direct involvement in the latest attacks, many suspect that Iran has chosen to take Israel hostage, via a proxy war waged by the Palestinian (and Iran-funded) terror group Hamas.

As much as it might be intended as a show of strength, in actuality, it’s a possible sign of Iran’s desperation and weakness. Iran is losing, and the regime knows it. It may have resorted to barbarism in order to preclude the possibility of regional peace because such a peace would be adverse to its own political ends.

That’s why it’s so important to fully and emphatically support Israel as it suppresses the conflict. We can’t lose the hard-won but fragile peace that already exists in the region, thanks in large part to the Abraham Accords.

The Middle East has been ravaged by violence and bloodshed for much longer than the modern state of Israel has existed, but the threats that Israel has faced since being reconstituted in 1948 have been constant and existential. Hamas seeks the abolition of Israel, and a former Hamas chief has called on every bordering Muslim nation to join its attack on Israel.

Israel has long faced violence for the mere fact that it exists. Now, Israel faces violence because it seeks to help build peace.

The future of the region hangs in the balance: Will order and peace be vanquished? Will ancient, long-simmering hatreds overcome the delicate fabric of regional prosperity and peace?

The Middle East’s future rises and falls with Israel. The United States must remain committed to supporting Israel in war and in its work to build a future of order, economic prosperity, and regional stability. American politicians mustn’t buckle to trendy anti-Israel rhetoric or ambivalent “bothsidesism” and abandon one of our most critical allies in its moment of need.

There have been heartening symbolic and concrete gestures in support of Israel all across the world. In Germany on Oct. 7, the famed Brandenburg Gate was lit in the Berlin night with the colors of the Israeli flag paired with Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s statement, “In solidarity with Israel.” Within hours of reports of the rocket deluge and ground offensive from Gaza into Israel, the Israeli flag was projected on the front of 10 Downing St. in London, followed by a statement of unequivocal support by UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Closer to home, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp instructed the Georgia State Treasurer to purchase $10 million in Israeli bonds to support defense efforts against Hamas. Florida, Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois, New York, and other public U.S. funds have now purchased almost $200 million in Israel bonds since the beginning of the Israel–Hamas War.

Importantly, presidential candidates should take this moment equally seriously: Where will they stand? What kind of foreign policy would they offer to the American people, to Israel and the Jews, and to the world?

I hope, for all our sakes, they choose to stand with our ally Israel—and, in so doing, choose to further the strides that the Middle East has taken toward a future of regional and global peace.

Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.