Israel’s military operations, particularly the war effort in Gaza, where local authorities say more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed, have damaged the country’s international standing. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for the prime minister and former defense minister.
But Israeli leaders say the military gains are worth the reputational damage, and the country’s stronger strategic position is a key factor in its future diplomatic prospects as Arab states seek partners to check Iranian power. It claims to open the door to profits.
“For the first time in the history of Zionism, Israel has a chance to become a regional power,” said Abner Golov, former senior director of Israel’s National Security Council and current vice chairman of Mind Israel. Government regarding national security.
Achieving this feat will not be easy, especially given that public opinion throughout the Arab world has soured against Israel due to the Gaza war. But with the world’s eyes focused on the devastation emerging from the remains of the Assad regime and a Gaza ceasefire on the horizon, Israel may be in a position to repair its international image and diplomatic standing.
Current and former Israeli officials are pushing for aggressive steps to build an alliance of Israel, the United States, and moderate Arabs, including Saudi Arabia, aimed at curbing Iranian influence. Golov said hopes for such an alliance are rising with the re-election of Donald Trump, who is set to return to office next month after confronting Iran in his first term.
Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, said the Gaza war set in motion a chain of events that helped lay the foundations for it. Israel weakened Iran by nearly neutralizing its military allies Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. These successes triggered the recent collapse of Syria’s Assad regime, a key ally of Tehran. Israel has also destroyed Iran’s air defenses in two retaliatory airstrikes, leaving Iran vulnerable to future conflict.
“We hope that the resolve and strength we have shown over the past year will lead to greater stability in the region,” Danon said.
Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharen Haskell said that with Israel on the front lines and demonstrating its military power, “more countries are recognizing that we need to work together.” said. That would further isolate Iran, she said.
The two countries had come close to such an agreement before the war, but Riyadh has since become highly critical of Israel’s actions in Gaza and elsewhere. However, Saudi Arabia maintains its pre-war position that normalization is possible if Israel agrees to resolve the issue of Palestinian statehood.
Although the overwhelming majority of Israelis currently oppose the creation of a Palestinian state, Golov said Israel could offer Palestinians a clear path to autonomy for Gaza and the West Bank. It is unclear whether Saudi Arabia would accept such a compromise.
Analysts say it will be difficult for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to pass such a bill under the current coalition government. That’s because the coalition relies on far-right parties that want to strengthen, not loosen, Israel’s control over the Palestinian territories. Prime Minister Netanyahu himself has emphasized his opposition to a Palestinian state since the start of the current war.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently told the Wall Street Journal that he is optimistic about normalizing relations with Saudi Arabia if Israel releases hostages held by Hamas in Gaza and secures an agreement to suspend fighting in Gaza. He said he has a good outlook.
Not everyone agrees that Israel’s military achievements have made it more secure for itself or the region, and there is a risk that the cost of war remains high for Israel.
Hussein Ibish, a senior resident fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute, a think tank in Washington, said the widely televised devastation in the Gaza Strip and the rising death toll there could lead to future conflicts between Israel and its neighbors. He said he was planting seeds.
Ibish added that Israel’s military victory created a situation in which more soldiers were needed to protect the borders with Lebanon, Syria and the Gaza Strip, as well as the West Bank, which is partially occupied by Israel.
“The fact is, this country is surrounded by enemies, and they have far more reason to be enemies today than they did on October 7,” he said.
William Wexler, senior director of the Middle East program at the Atlantic Council think tank in Washington, said meeting with Israeli leaders is taboo across the Middle East and in many developing countries, hampering future cooperation. said.
Israel has faced diplomatic backlash in the past. Itamar Rabinovich, a former Israeli ambassador to the United States and advisor to several prime ministers, believes this momentum will slow down. Currently, Israel attracts such criticism, he said, but this will lessen over time once the war ends.
“Israel undoubtedly enjoys significant U.S. support, not only because of the need to respond to attacks by Hamas and Hezbollah, but also because of the recognition that vital U.S. interests are at stake. “There are,” Rabinovich said.
For example, Rabinovich said the current conflict in the Middle East is taking on broader significance as Iran grows closer to Russia, and Russia moves closer to countries that compete with the United States and its allies. “This is not just a regional conflict, but a global conflict against the Russian, Chinese and North Korean coalition.”
Israeli writer and philosopher Micah Goodman has said since the start of the war that one of the key questions as Israel considers war trade-offs is whether it should be free before the diplomatic implications become overwhelming. The question was whether it could pursue military objectives, he said. .
“We needed to restore deterrence, and to restore deterrence we needed to do things that would reduce our legitimacy,” Goodman said. But overall, he added, “I think Israel has managed to pull it off.”
Contact Dov Lieber at dov.lieber@wsj.com.
