Israel’s Pragmatic Approach: Seizing Opportunity in a Changing Middle East

Israel is adopting a pragmatic approach, aiming to seize diplomatic opportunities in a rapidly changing Middle East, with Foreign Minister Gideon Saar expressing interest in normalizing ties with Syria and Lebanon. Saar indicated on Monday that the perceived weakening of Iran after the recent 12-day war, coupled with regional upheavals like Assad’s overthrow, creates a strategic window for new alliances.
A crucial aspect of this pragmatic stance is Israel’s unwavering position on the Golan Heights, which Saar declared non-negotiable. This territory, captured from Syria in 1967 and annexed in 1981, remains a contentious issue, viewed by most of the international community as occupied Syrian land, despite President Donald Trump’s recognition of Israeli sovereignty.
This diplomatic initiative builds on the success of the 2020 Abraham Accords, which formalized relations with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco. Yet, these agreements faced considerable unpopularity across the Arab world, underscoring the deep public sentiment tied to the Palestinian issue, which could complicate future normalization efforts.
Indeed, a senior Syrian official has firmly linked any normalization to the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, which calls for Israeli withdrawal from all occupied territories and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. Israel’s Foreign Minister, however, countered that conditioning normalization on Palestinian statehood is “not constructive” and a security threat, exposing a fundamental ideological divide that poses a major hurdle to any comprehensive peace.