Orientul Mijlociu

Is Europe pushing for Palestinian statehood or Palestinian surrender?

Europe’s belated recognition of Palestinian statehood is a naked geopolitical maneuver – part of a wider normalization push that sidelines Palestinian liberation, while repackaging defeat as diplomatic progress. Are we witnessing the birth of a state? Or the declaration of its defeat?

Since its inception in 1948, Israel has never operated within fixed borders. Expansion has always been its doctrine – not constrained by law, but propelled by force and endorsed by unwavering western support. Israel has refused to define its boundaries for almost eight decades because its very identity is rooted in a colonial ambition that has never truly ended.

The future of Gaza: Israel must implement Trump’s plan gradually, safely – opinion

It is in Israel’s interest to allow the US the space and time to act according to its own approach, until Washington reaches the inevitable conclusion that Hamas cannot be disarmed.

The ceasefire that came into effect on the basis of US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan, leading to the release of all living hostages and 26 of the 28 deceased hostages, constitutes a significant achievement for Israel, all the more so given that it was secured while the country continued to hold 53% of the Gaza Strip at this stage.

Across the divide: Living in the shadow of Israel’s expanding Golan Heights border

For Syrians on both sides of the divide, life has changed immeasurably since Israel began expanding its occupation of the Golan Heights

Majdal Shams/Beit Jinn – There are no Syrian flags anymore in the main square of Majdal Shams, a Druze village in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, nor were there celebrations for the first anniversary of the fall of Bashar Al-Assad’s regime.

After the ceasefire: In south Lebanon, Israel’s war never ended

A year on from the ceasefire, displaced civilians in south Lebanon continue to live under near-daily Israeli airstrikes, drones, and military occupation

South Lebanon – Ali Hammoud looked worn out, staring blankly at the little fire and the pot of boiling vegetables that would soon be his dinner. There is no gas, water or electricity, so he is cooking outdoors. And though an Israeli airstrike had torn away one side of his house, he is glad to be back.

Damascus puts forward proposal to integrate SDF into army

Enab Baladi – All Rights Reserved

Reuters reported that Syrian, Kurdish, and American officials are racing against time to show progress, even if limited, on the March 10 agreement before the end of the year.

The agency quoted several Syrian, Kurdish, and Western sources, involved in or briefed on the talks, as saying that negotiations had accelerated in recent days despite mounting frustration over delays, and that the Syrian government had sent a proposal to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) agreeing to incorporate its forces into the Syrian army as brigades and divisions.

Israel and Egypt Sign Record $35 Billion Gas Deal

Latest Developments

  • Netanyahu Announces Massive Gas Deal: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the signing of a gas deal with Egypt on December 17 valued at approximately $35 billion. Hailing the agreement as the “largest gas deal in Israel’s history,” Netanyahu asserted that the “deal greatly strengthens Israel’s status as a regional energy power and contributes to stability in our region.” The announcement came after the majority owners of Israel’s Leviathan gas field, NewMed Energy and Chevron, confirmed in August that they had reached an agreement with Egypt to significantly expand a preexisting 2019 arrangement, with plans to construct a new transmission pipeline from Israel to Egypt through the Israeli town of Nitzana.
  • Push for Summit in Egypt: Against the background of the gas deal,the United States has continued pressing for a summit between Netanyahu and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. An Israeli source told CNNthat the decision to grant the gas export permit required to finalize the deal with Egypt was part of a broader effort to establish the foundation for a meeting between the two leaders. Netanyahu has not met with Sisi publicly since 2017, though Naftali Bennett spoke with the Egyptian president in 2021 during his term as Israel’s premier.
  • Egypt Joins Board of Peace for Gaza: U.S. officials said this week that the Trump administration has secured commitments from six countries, including Egypt, to join the Board of Peace envisaged in Trump’s 20-point ceasefire plan to supervise a transitional government in Gaza led by an “apolitical” committee of Palestinian technocrats. In addition to Egypt, countries joining Trump on the board reportedly include Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Germany. Washington is aiming to secure leaders from further countries to sit on the body, including Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Is the Arab World Finally Discovering Collective Security and Multilateral Diplomacy?

The Arab world was already badly divided when recent wars and military conflicts broke out between state actors and between them and nonstate actors in 2023. But paradoxically, these tremors have created conditions that led to almost unprecedented coordination and diplomatic activism among key Arab states, along with a willingness to engage with non-Arab actors that were previously seen as rivals and even pariahs. The fruits of that coordination, activism, and engagement to date—which Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates have led—have been more philosophically negative than positive; that is, they have averted worse outcomes more than they have secured decisive goals. Should the trend survive the current set of crises, however, there are possibilities for more constructive action. Is that likely or even possible? A review of the current situation in historical perspective suggests that sustained collective diplomacy is now more possible than in the past; while it cannot be described as likely, an attitudinal change on the part of key Arab leaders offers an unusual opening.

US and Jordanian strikes on Syria kill at least five ISIS fighters in retaliation for Palmyra attack

US and Jordanian forces have launched an operation against ISIS in Syria, killing at least five members of the extremist group including a cell leader, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Saturday.

The US strikes overnight on Friday were a response to an attack in Palmyra last week that killed three Americans, Centcom and Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said.

Syria seizes bombs and drones in new anti-ISIS raid in Damascus

Syria has seized drones and explosives from a suspected ISIS hideout in Damascus, in a swoop it said “confirms” it is capable of fighting extremists.

The raid, in which a suspected member of ISIS was arrested, was one of two against the group announced in the space of 24 hours. It came as US President Donald Trump prepared to receive the bodies of two Americans killed in an attack in Palmyra that authorities blamed on ISIS.

Turkish President Erdogan Claims Israel Is Biggest Threat to Syria

Latest Developments

Erdogan Accuses Israel of Seeking ‘Fragmentation’ of Syria: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan labeled Israel the “primary obstacle” to a stable Syria on December 16, pledging that Ankara would continue to support the Ahmed al-Sharaa-led government responsible for ousting former dictator Bashar al-Assad from power in late 2024. “It is clear who will benefit from the fragmentation of Syria,” Erdogan said, adding that “a safer tomorrow for Syria is only possible with a vision of common history and all segments of society.”