Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian’s recent statement that Iran and Israel share a common belief in the rejection of a two-state solution highlights the profound implications of Israel’s continued refusal to engage in a political dialogue with the Palestinians. This stance, according to Amirabdollahian, serves as a catalyst for Iran’s growing influence in the region, providing a justification for its expansionist agenda and efforts to drive Israel out of the Middle East. Amirabdollahian’s remarks underscore the urgent need for Israel to reconsider its position and embrace a diplomatic approach that addresses the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people. The April 13 attacks on Israel, while failing to inflict a significant blow to Iran, nonetheless exposed the country’s vulnerability and the pressing need for a unified regional response. However, Israel’s ongoing unwillingness to discuss a two-state solution casts a shadow over the prospects for forging such an alliance, as evidenced by the reluctance of key regional players to commit to open and public strategic ties with Israel in the absence of progress on the Palestinian front. This predicament underscores the delicate balance between military cooperation and broader political alignment, and the importance of addressing the underlying causes of regional instability. By stubbornly adhering to a hardline stance, Israel risks squandering the opportunity to forge a united front against Iran and its destabilizing activities. The recent Gaza campaign has laid bare the deep fissures in Israel’s relations with Jordan and the Gulf states, highlighting the potential consequences of failing to address the root causes of regional conflict.
Iran’s diplomatic offensive, spearheaded by Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian’s shuttle diplomacy, aims to exploit the war in Gaza to reshape the regional power balance in its favor. By pressuring key countries to sever or downgrade diplomatic ties with Israel, Iran seeks to roll back the gains made through the Abraham Accords and restore its position as the dominant regional power. While Iran’s efforts have yielded limited success thus far, the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and Israel’s inability to articulate clear goals for the conflict provide fertile ground for Iran’s narrative of resistance and support for the Palestinian cause. Its efforts are further fueled by a desire to portray Iran as a champion of the struggle against American influence in the Middle East, rather than a foreign interloper in the Arab world.
The intertwined nature of the Iranian and Palestinian threats poses a significant challenge to regional stability. By weakening moderate Palestinian elements, deepening tensions with Jordan and Egypt, and exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Israel is inadvertently creating a vacuum that Iran is eager to fill. As long as Israel remains steadfast in its refusal to engage in a meaningful dialogue with the Palestinians, it will continue to provide Iran with the necessary conditions to expand its sphere of influence. The far-right architects of Israel’s October 7 failure, with their narrow and uncompromising worldview, have unwittingly become allies of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and President Ebrahim Raisi, serving Iran’s strategic interests and undermining Israel’s own security in the process.
