The Middle East has long been in turmoil due to internal conflicts and regional wars. The current visit of US President Donald Trump holds immense significance for the region, especially Syria. It also reveals significant details behind the recent regional developments.
U.S. Strategic Interests and the Role of Israel in the Middle East
Israel has long served as the regional proxy of the United States. The former is the largest ever recipient of US aid since its illegitimate establishment on Palestinian land. The US has always been the key supporter of the Israeli occupation of Palestine. It not only provided financial assistance but also stretched its diplomatic and military support to the Zionist state. Most of the Muslim world considers the US an accomplice in the Israeli war crimes in Gaza.
Trump’s Middle East Policy and Shifting Alliances
Despite the Republican Party’s apparent claim of reducing involvement in foreign wars and conflicts, Donald Trump provided its diplomatic, military, and financial aid to Israel in its first term. The Trump administration even played the leading role in normalizing Israel’s diplomatic relations with many Gulf States, through the Abraham Accord, in his first term. President Trump stated, after the inauguration of his second non-consecutive term, that before the end of his term, Saudi Arabia would accept the legitimacy of Israel.
The ongoing visit of US President Donald Trump to the Middle East is pivotal as it will have long-term impacts on the regional trajectory. His recent visit to Saudi Arabia seems to be a part of the US plan to normalize relations between Israel and the former. Trump extended remarkable favors to the Saudi prince Muhammad bin Salman. The two countries signed multiple bilateral agreements, including Saudi investment in health, energy production, and Artificial Intelligence. The White House has stated that the US-KSA arms deal, worth around $142 billion, is the largest defense cooperation agreement” the United States has ever done.
Before starting his tour to the Middle East, President Trump announced that the country would lift its long-standing sanctions on Syria. He also met the new Syrian President, Ahmed al-Sharaa. Trump stated, “With the support of the great leaders in this room, we are currently exploring normalizing relations with Syria’s new government.” These developments reveal a lot about the real sponsors of the armed rebellion against Bashar al-Assad’s government in Syria.
Normalization, Terrorism, and Regional Fallout
Western governments and media have long nominated Ahmed al-Sharaa and his organization as terrorists. However, this perception changed after his recent uprising against the Assad regime in Syria. Many analysts around the world saw the sudden collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s government and the rise of the HTS suspiciously. Many sane voices around the world claimed that the HTS was backed by the US and Israel. The latter’s occupation of Syria and the new regime in Damascus over this invasion further strengthened these claims.
Trump’s sudden policy reversal towards Syria and Ahmed al-Sharaa, once a member of Al-Qaeda, speaks volumes about the Western covert support of terrorist organizations in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia. Hillary Clinton, the former US Secretary of State, already confessed in one of her speeches that the US funded the terrorist organizations and the Wahabi brand, an extremist sect of Islam, under the Reagan administration. This illustrates how the US sponsors terrorism in the Middle East.
The United States’ normalization of relations with the Syrian government, led by a formerly designated terrorist, further reveals its sponsorship of the terrorist organizations. Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, after Trump’s visit, stated that the US and Saudi Arabia have agreed to end the war in Gaza and release all hostages. This statement shows that the two sides have discussed the normalization of Saudi-Israel relations. A temporary pause in the Israeli war crimes in Gaza could be the first step in the normalization of relations between the two sides.
The Abraham Accords emboldened the Zionist state to commit unprecedented terrorism and violence in Gaza. The normalization of Israeli relations with the Arab nations weakens the Palestinian cause, and Saudi Arabia is the last step in this regard. The establishment of Saudi-Israel diplomatic relations will legitimize Israel’s stance globally. Saudi Arabia seeks to fortify its relations with the West, especially the United States. Moreover, Muhammad bin Salman is also known for his reformist ideology and modernization. Therefore, the normalization of the Saudi-Israel relations will not be a surprise to the world. This normalization and the establishment of a US-backed fundamentalist government in Syria will extend the US diplomatic outreach in the region. However, the people of the Middle East, especially Palestine, will have to pay a huge price for this betrayal of the Arab nations.
Abbas Hashemite – is a political observer and research analyst for regional and global geopolitical issues. He is currently working as an independent researcher and journalist
