By Steve Kramer
KFAR SABA, Israel — It’s better to be feared than to be loved, if you are a small state in the Middle East. In Israel’s neighborhood, one can add hated, because that’s what the Jews have faced for at least 100 years. You can also add respect, because Israel is respected as a formidable military power. Today, Israel is hated by some, respected by others, and feared by its enemies.
When did Israel graduate from being a small, relatively weak entity with a tiny population (600,000 Jews in 1948) to perhaps the most potent power in the Middle East, with 7.2 million Jews, 1.9 million Muslim Arabs, 0.2 million Christian Arabs, and 0.5 million non-Jews, who include the Druze, who are among our most fierce soldiers, Christians, Bahai, and those of no religion. Israel’s Muslim/Christian Arab citizens are able to volunteer for military/national service and some small number do. In addition, there are thousands of volunteers to the IDF from around the world who want to do their part to defend Israel (as lone soldiers). Many of them subsequently become Israeli citizens.
Israel has cooperative partners among Middle Eastern states based on the Abraham Accords. The Emirates and Bahrain are quite significant. The third, Morocco, is the former home of a significant number of Israelis. Those three are all monarchies. Sudan, the fourth, is war-torn but is anxious to participate in the ‘club.’
Note: Egypt and Jordan have signed peace treaties with Israel which are little more than non-aggression pacts. Relations between them and Israel, especially by Egypt, are quite cold. Lately, Egypt has been moving troops and weapons close to Israel’s southern border, a flashing warning sign.
Of course, the leader among the Arabs is Saudi Arabia, based on its prodigious riches and the very significant fact that the two holiest cities of Islam, Mecca and Medina, are both located there. In the days just before the barbaric 10/7/23 surprise attack across Israel’s southern border, “Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in a rare interview with Fox News on Wednesday [9/21/23] that negotiations over Israel means the prospects of normalized relations between both countries ‘get closer’ every day, but that treatment of Palestinians remains a ‘very important’ issue to be resolved.”
This statement on 9/21/23 may have been the catalyst on that caused Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas terror organization leader in Gaza, to jump the gun and attack Israel alone, foregoing a united Arab onslaught against Israel. It is now clear that Iran had devised a plan to destroy Israel. The plan was to be implemented by its ‘Axis of Resistance’ (Hezbollah in Lebanon, Palestinian militias in Syria and Iraq, Houthis in Yemen, and of course Hamas in Gaza and Judea & Samaria). This combined effort to destroy Israel from north, east, south, as well as from social and legacy media, might have destroyed the Jewish state.
But, Sinwar couldn’t contain himself and attacked Israel’s southern border alone – the initial step in the plan. Hezbollah did join Hamas the next day, October 8, with a potent barrage of rockets and missiles. Israel received sympathetic media coverage for less than a week; then the hate against it exploded.
About Hezbollah. In the years before the 10/7 sneak attack, Israel was definitely deterred by Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israel’s strategy of small military operations periodically to reduce its enemies’ power had done nothing to prevent Hezbollah from acquiring a huge arsenal of missiles and rockets, perhaps more than 100,000 in all, which would cause ‘thousands’ of Israeli casualties. But on October 8, 2023, the phenomenal IAF (Israel Air Force) began to decimate Hezbollah’s arsenal – and its essential launchers – most effectively – not to mention the exploding pagers and walkie-talkies.
On September 27, 2024, Israel decapitated Hezbollah’s leadership, including one of its founding and most essential members, Hassan Nasrallah, who famously had said that “Israel is weaker than a spider-web”. (He evidently didn’t know that spider silk is five times stronger than steel!) After that, Hezbollah was almost totally crushed and its ‘awesome’ threat was gone. The fear that had deterred Israel had been greatly exaggerated.
Hezbollah’s defeat contributed to the Syrian dictator, Bashar Assad, fleeing Syria on December 8, 2024. He and his family were granted asylum in Russia after rebel troops overran significant areas in Syria. The current leadership in Syria, which may or may not retain its power, is opposed to Iran and may or may not be a threat to Israel. Currently, Israel is fighting in Syria protecting the Druze population there. Significantly, IDF has control of the entire Hermon mountain range overlooking Damascus which is only about 25 miles distant. Syria will try to eject Israelis from Syria and from the summit of Mt. Hermon, but hopefully Israel will remain steadfast of its own interests.
On June 13, 2025, Israel surprised Iran with a sneak attack, which was the start of a successful 12-day war against Iran. Israel’s armed forces were augmented by the US onslaught on three nuclear sites on June 22, setting Iran’s nuclear program back years. Not only is its nuclear program in tatters, but Iran’s geopolitical and military potency are smashed. However, you can’t underestimate the extremely sly and crafty Iranians, who submitted to a ceasefire only after sustaining 12 days of massive Israeli and US bombardment.
The Middle Eastern political and military construct has changed dramatically after Iran’s and its proxies’ defeat. Hopefully, the stage is set to bring new countries into the Abraham Accords. Countries as disparate as Pakistan and Indonesia have been mentioned. But more realistically, the big prize of Saudi Arabia could be realized.
What advantages could persuade Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to join the Abraham Accords? According to the Time news network, “[joining] would:
–Strengthen the anti-Iran alliance: Saudi Arabia and Israel share concerns about Iran’s regional ambitions, and closer ties could enhance their cooperation in countering Iranian influence.
–Boost regional stability: Normalization could foster greater economic integration and security cooperation, reducing the risk of conflict and promoting stability.
–Advance the Israeli-Palestinian peace process: while the Abraham Accords initially sidelined the Palestinian issue, Saudi Arabia’s involvement could [perhaps] create new opportunities for dialogue and negotiation.
–The economic benefits: A win-win scenario with significant economic benefits for the participating countries creating new opportunities for businesses and individuals.
Saudi Arabia’s participation would further amplify these benefits, creating a larger, more integrated regional market.”
Israel doesn’t need its Arab neighbors to love it or even like it. What it needs, and has probably gained, is its enemies’ respect and fear of Israel’s military strength. Its peace partners Jordan and Egypt must respect its military might. Some Western-oriented Muslim countries can now recognize Israel’s ability to protect its partners, its close ties with the US – the world’s leading economic and military power – and Israel’s hi-tech capability and business acumen.
After 77 years of independence, Israel may have reached the stage in which area partners are anxious to join with it in building a new, safer, and more prosperous Middle East.
Steve Kramer is an American Israeli freelance writer based in Kfar Saba, Israel.