Is peace in the Middle East possible?
This month, the international calendar marks a series of pivotal peace processes that shaped the Middle East in recent decades. Following Hamas’ horrific attacks against Israel on October 7, 2023, many wonder if peace is an elusive quest.
What can we learn from past deals, and how can the West approach the problem of peace in the Near East?
A brief overview
The West’s recent fixation on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict detaches Israeli and Palestinian issues from regional and global contexts.
An essential element in Israel’s story, often missing from the mainstream narrative, is that since its founding in 1948, Israel has sought peace not only with its Palestinian neighbors but also with its Arab and Muslim neighbors who initially rejected the Jewish state’s right to exist.
For decades, there have been efforts to achieve peace between Israel, the Palestinians, and the wider Middle East, but after the events of 10/7, the prospect of lasting peace seems more elusive than ever.
Camp David Accords
1978 – Israel and Egypt
Following years of hostilities between the two nations that led to wars in 1948, 1953, 1967, and 1973, Israeli and Egyptian leadership met at the U.S. presidential retreat, Camp David, in 1978 to craft a peace deal.
The Camp David Accords, brokered by President Jimmy Carter, were signed by Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin in September 1978.
Israel agreed to relinquish the Sinai Peninsula, the territory between Israel and Egypt east of the Red Sea, in exchange for peace and full diplomatic relations with Egypt.
Egypt was the first Arab neighbor to make groundbreaking peace with Israel, while the rest of the Muslim world remained hostile to Israel.
Oslo Accords
1993, 1995 – Israel and the Palestinians
Perhaps the most contentious peace deal brokered in the Near East was the Oslo Accords, the first signed in September 1993 and the second two years later.
Brokered by U.S. President Bill Clinton, Israeli prime minister Yitzchak Rabin and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat signed a set of agreements which would see the Palestinian Liberation Organization recognize the State of Israel in exchange for Israel allowing some form of limited self-governance in Gaza and the West Bank. Oslo II created the A, B, and C zones in the West Bank that exist today.
However, the Oslo Accords and the larger peace process was marred by violence and mistrust on both sides.
Today, Oslo is seen as a failure and a stain on Israel-Palestinian relations.
Camp David Summit
2000 – Israel and the Palestinians
Twenty-two years following the first Camp David Summit, the presidential retreat was the home of another set of Near East peace negotiations, this time between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat negotiated again under U.S. President Bill Clinton’s mediation following the Oslo Accords.
Despite some initial progress, the talks collapsed, with deep disagreements on key issues like borders, refugees, and the status of Jerusalem.
The failure of this summit led to the outbreak of the Second Intifada, a four-year series of Palestinian terror attacks against Israeli civilians and subsequent IDF raids into Palestinian territories, further entrenching violence and mistrust.
Abraham Accords
2020 – Israel, Bahrain and UAE
The Abraham Accords, brokered by President Donald Trump, marked a significant diplomatic breakthrough,normalizing relations between Israel and several Arab nations, including the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan.
For the first time in decades, Israel built official ties with these countries, focusing on cooperation in trade, security, and technology.
The Abraham Accords marked a major shift in regional alliances, proving that peace with Israel was possible without direct resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
However, while the accords were celebrated, they left the Palestinian issue unresolved.
After 10/7
Where Does Peace Stand?
In the aftermath of Hamas’ 10/7 Massacre, the Near East is in a fragile situation. The path to peace between Israel, the Palestinians, and the broader Middle East is filled with both breakthroughs and deep setbacks.
As violence escalates, the region braces for potential conflagration, and trust erodes.
The question is no longer just about negotiation tables and peace agreements, but whether the deep wounds of the past can ever truly heal.
The Iranian regime is the ultimate enemy to peace
The most significant barrier to peace in the Near East is not Israel, as the mainstream narrative purports, but the Islamic Republic of Iran, which is spreading its Islamist revolution across the region, endangering minorities and seeking to eliminate U.S. presence and the state of Israel.
After Hamas’ attacks against Israel on October 7, 2023, Iran has become even more aggressive, attacking Israel indirectly through its proxies and directly itself.
The West should focus on rebuilding trust between Israelis and Palestinians who disavow terrorism while also placing responsibility on the Iranian regime for funding extremism and perpetuating instability.