For a long time, the term "New Middle East" has been circulating, initially launched as the "Greater Middle East". What are the roots of this proposal? What are its manifestations and achievements on the ground? What does it represent for the Zionist entity and its supporters? What is their vision for the region? And what are their goals from it? This is our topic, where we draw its main material from "Israeli" media, meaning the pens and voices of the Zionists themselves.
The dubious project and its general framework
In the last decade of the previous century, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Americans began shaping a massive project aimed at dominating the world as a whole, known as the "New American Century" project. The Middle East region had a significant share as one of the main axes of American domination. However, this project remained a plan or theoretical concept for a few years - until it was activated after the September 2001 attacks - starting with Afghanistan, then Iraq.
Gradually, the outlines and details of the project came to light, after making their way into American political literature, from political and strategic studies and reports. One of the most important was a report published by the American "Armed Forces Journal" written by Ralph Peters, a former American military officer who reached the rank of Colonel and then devoted himself to writing on political, military, and strategic affairs. In this report titled "Blood Borders", he focused on the necessity of changing the traditional geographic and political composition of the Middle East region, established by the British and the French over a century ago, and the inevitability of restructuring and dividing countries, creating new states, annexing parts of some current countries and merging them into others, fragmenting all countries in the region into ethnic, religious, and sectarian states, claiming that this is necessary to restore the rights of minorities in all their forms, combating terrorism, and bringing peace and security to the region.
The report did not only focus on Arab countries but also included many other countries, some of which are far from our Arab world, such as Afghanistan and Azerbaijan, in addition to Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, and others. In this context, the term "Greater Middle East" appeared on the American political stage.
In 1993, Shimon Peres, the former president of the Zionist entity, issued a book bearing the same name as the project, "New Middle East", in which he spoke about the possibility, and necessity, of establishing comprehensive economic cooperation leading to integration in agriculture, trade, manufacturing, tourism, communication, and transportation among the countries of the region, including their illegitimate entity, instead of wars and their suffering and losses for everyone. He reassured the criminals of his entity, promising them that their entity would occupy the most advanced position in this framework, due to its technological advancement and economic superiority.
Goals of the Zionist entity and its supporters
In addition to what Peres reflected in his mentioned book about this project, and based on what he established through it, and elaborated on in its details, Israeli writings on this subject continued, reflecting their entity's vision of this massive track and its goals. These writings have been intensified in recent years, reflecting the goals of the Zionist entity as follows:
1- Recognition of the Arab world entity and its acceptance:
For example, Yacov Katz wrote a striking and expressive article on this matter, starting with its title, which says: "A New Middle East: Everything Israel Dreamt of Over the Years." Among the things mentioned in the article: "The new Middle East is what we saw today in the historic normalization agreement signed at the White House in Washington, between Israel, and the Emirates and Bahrain.. What these two countries have done helps Israelis achieve what they have been longing and dreaming of for many years, which is for Israel to become an accepted and legitimate state in the region"(3).
In the same context, Yitzhak Gal, a researcher at the "Israeli" Institute for Regional Foreign Policy, wrote the following: "It is a historically important opportunity for Israel... On the other hand, this will lead to a change in the geopolitical rules of the game, which will greatly contribute to integrating Israel into the Middle East in a deep and long-term way"(4).
2- Economic expansion at the expense of Arab countries:
Israeli reports reflect the insatiable appetite of the Zionist entity to exploit its closer ties with Arab countries, within the framework of the new Middle East, to engulf their economies and expand economically at their expense. Yitzhak Gal wrote in a report about the economic aspects that will result from the cooperation between the countries of the region, particularly regarding the planned economic corridor that starts from India and ends in Europe passing through the Middle East.
He mentioned in this regard: "For Israel, connecting the Middle Eastern countries through trains represents an opportunity to achieve an economic and geopolitical leap. The India-Middle East-Europe economic corridor will create a huge leap in the trade field and in the development of projects along its routes, with the Arab world expected to become the second most important region in the world for Israeli exports."
He then adds, saying: "On the economic level, there are 3 main advantages expected to help turn the economic corridor into a new engine for Israeli economic growth:
A- A leap in Israeli exports and improvement in the competitiveness of the Israeli economy.
B- Developing regional and international transit trade, a new and significant area for the Israeli economy, as the volume of regional and international trade passing through Israel with the activation of the economic corridor will be 5 times the size of the trade passing through its ports currently.
C- A new flow of large foreign investments, particularly from Gulf countries, as they aim to use direct land links to the Mediterranean Sea as a starting point for trade and economic activity with Europe and other Western markets"(5).
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(1) Ralph, Peters: Blood borders, Armed forces journal, 1-6-2006.
(2) – פרס, שמעון: המזרח התיכון החדש, הוצאת: סטימצקי, תל-אביב, 1993.
(3) כץ, יעקב: מזרח תיכון חדש: כל מה שישראל חלמה עליו כל השנים, מעריב, 15-9-2020.
(4) גל, יצחק: עבור ישראל, חיבור המזה” ת ברכבת הוא הזדמנות לקפיצה כלכלית וגיאופוליטית, הארץ, 21-9-2023.
(5) גל, יצחק: עבור ישראל, חיבור המזה” ת ברכבת הוא הזדמנות לקפיצה כלכלית וגיאופוליטית, הארץ, 21-9-2023.
