“The most dangerous enemy to Israel’s security is the intellectual inertia of those who are responsible for security.”
David Ben Gurion, 1951
In the map of the Sykes Picot agreement, officially called the Asia Minor Agreement, which shaped the map of the Middle East with which we are most familiar, Israel appears as a small country – an alien presence – in the midst of a sea of 22 Arab countries. But the Abraham Accords have created a new reality in the Middle East, proving that Israel’s national cohesion, military prowess and economic promise can be translated into new alliances with Arab countries that once opposed the Jewish State. The revolution in Syria and the possible weakening of Iran pose great possibilities for further alliances. It seems that the map should no longer be drawn as one color surrounding Israel, where Israel is threatened by a consolidated sea of enemy countries, but rather Israel is increasingly to be seen as a central pillar in a web of alliances. If the changes in the Middle East are as dramatic as this description suggests, surely Israel urgently needs to update its strategic thought. Israel must tread carefully, finding which groups in the Middle East are most likely to build lasting ties with Israel.
Ofir Haivry
“The Strange Death of the Arab State”, Chronicles (October 2025).
“The Crescent and the Lion”, Providence (2017).
“The Great Arab Implosion and Its Consequences”, Mosaic Magazine (July 2016).
“The Druze Fight for Israel: Should They Now Fight Alone?”, Tablet (July 7, 2015).
“Shifting Alliances in the Middle East”, Commentary (November 2014).
Yoram Hazony
Interview on Israel and the future of the Druze in Syria, The John Bachelor Show (July 9, 2015).
“The Druze Fight for Israel: Should They Now Fight Alone?”, Tablet (July 7, 2015).
“Why We Need the Jewish State Law”, Times of Israel (November 23, 2014).
Aryeh Tepper
“Christian’s in the Holy Land: Don’t Call us Arabs”, The Tower (January 2015).
“Toward a Pluralistic Middle East?”, Jewish Ideas Daily (March 2011).
“The Azeri Exception”, Jewish Ideas Daily (October 2010).
