Over the past decades, the Zionist vision project to reshape the Middle East region was a fantasy, but it grew! This project was not just a geographical or political ambition, but it aimed to achieve sustainable regional and international dominance.
Since its establishment, "Israel" realized that building strategic relationships with major powers was the way to ensure this dominance, with the United States at the top of those powers, which provided "Israel" with financial and diplomatic support, as well as protection from international accountability.
With the changes that the region witnessed after the "Arab Spring" in 2011, the political map changed in many Arab countries, where we saw collapsing regimes, civil wars erupting, and internal and external challenges spreading. These transformations not only affected the balance of power in the region, but also brought about radical changes in the relationships between Arab countries themselves, as well as in their positions towards "Israel." Some countries that were hostile to "Israel" gradually began to normalize their relations with it, driven by changes in their security, political, and economic priorities. Priorities that used to focus on confronting "Israel" have now shifted to internal and regional threats such as terrorism and Iranian influence, leading some regimes to approach "Israel" instead of focusing on the Palestinian issue.
These regional transformations have contributed to sidelining the Palestinian issue and weakening the Arab stance, which was characterized in the past by unity in rejecting "Israel." The normalization that used to take place in secrecy has now become public and increasing, enabling the Zionist project to steadily advance towards achieving its goals. "Israel" no longer relies solely on American and Western support, but has benefited more from the noticeable Arab stance.
On the media side, "Israel" succeeded in exploiting the Arab retreat to expand its influence on the media level in the region. Arab media, which began to support "Israel," became an effective tool in recruiting and motivating Arab youth to accept narratives that support normalization. These youth are presented as examples of a new generation that sees peace with "Israel" as a common interest, and they are given large media platforms to market this idea, giving legitimacy to Western regimes and countries that support normalization, by creating the illusion of a youth movement calling for this normalization. This type of media is not limited to promoting normalization, but also works on polishing the image of "Israel" and presenting it as a moderate state seeking peace, while tarnishing the image of Palestinian resistance.
In addition to military and diplomatic superiority, "Israel" is playing an increasing role in the regional economy. Through technological advancements, it seeks to build new bridges with countries in the region. Israeli companies have become leaders in innovation in the fields of agricultural technology and cyber security. This makes collaboration with them appealing to countries facing challenges in these areas. Additionally, Arab markets and North Africa are flooded with Israeli products under the guise of White Label, where companies in Arab countries repackage these products and export them as local products. This cooperation enhances Israel's influence in the region and solidifies its vision of dominance.
Israel also plays a pivotal role in shaping energy maps in the Eastern Mediterranean. It has signed agreements with countries like Cyprus and Greece for the development of natural gas fields. Through these alliances, it can benefit from the discovery and development of these fields to enhance its position as a player in the regional energy market. While Israeli influence may be relatively small compared to major players in the energy market, this collaboration gives it increasing influence in regional energy issues, strengthening its ability to impact certain decisions in the region.
One of the main tools used by the Zionist vision to justify its presence and expansion is organized media campaigns to exaggerate or fabricate stories about atrocities allegedly committed by Palestinians. These narratives are used as a pretext to justify military attacks on Gaza and cover up the extent of destruction caused by Israeli military operations. Western media, especially American media, has played a key role in spreading these narratives. Despite some of these stories being later debunked, the main goal of these narratives is to gain broad popular and political support for Israel, helping to mitigate international criticism it may face due to its military practices resulting in the deaths of many innocent civilians.
Moreover, thanks to its strong and internationally supported media machine, Israel has succeeded in shifting the narrative to portray itself as the defending party, while Palestinians are portrayed as obstacles to peace. These narratives have not been limited to Western media alone, but have also found their way into some Arab media platforms that promote what is referred to as political realism or security cooperation. This further contributes to marginalizing the Palestinian cause and weakening the ties that once connected Arab people to the issue.
The role played by Israeli intelligence agencies in building unannounced alliances with a number of regional countries cannot be ignored. Israel's ability to gather sensitive information and exploit it for its own benefit has enabled it to enhance its influence in sensitive regional issues, making it an indirect partner to some regimes in combating what are called common threats.
Israel has also proven its ability to exploit regional crises to its advantage, by monitoring chaos in countries like Syria, Libya, and Yemen. Israel works to strengthen its security and military position in the region, including expanding its influence through non-traditional alliances or through limited military interventions. This enhances its vision of controlling events in the Middle East, while ensuring it is not directly threatened.
Israeli influence is not limited to the region alone, but extends to the international arena through powerful lobbies that pressure Western governments to support Israel. This support is not only military or financial, but also unconditional support for Israel's positions in diplomatic corridors. This strategy enhances its ability to shape regional and global policies in line with its Zionist goals.
What is concerning is the simple yet frightening signs of the impact of these narratives on the new generations in the Arab world, especially the youth, including university students and recent graduates. They have become more susceptible to being influenced by these misleading narratives due to their involvement in civil society activities run by foreign embassies, contributing to their ignorance of the reality of the Israeli occupation of Palestine. This generation gradually adopts views different from previous generations and becomes more accepting of the idea of normalization under the guise of the peace project.
In the end, the fundamental question remains: where is the Middle East heading amidst these transformations? It is certain that the Zionist project is steadily moving towards achieving its goals, exploiting unprecedented international and regional complicity, while Palestine continues to resist. The Palestinian issue is not just a matter of borders or a dispute over land, but a existential battle for justice and dignity.
