Israel’s Grand Strategy: Expanding Peace in the Wake of Conflict

Israel is pursuing a grand strategy of expanding peace in the wake of significant regional conflict, with Foreign Minister Gideon Saar expressing interest in normalizing ties with Syria and Lebanon. Saar announced on Monday that Israel sees an opportunity in Iran’s perceived weakening after the 12-day war, alongside the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in Syria and ongoing turmoil in Gaza and Lebanon.
Central to this strategy is Israel’s unwavering stance on the Golan Heights, which Saar declared non-negotiable. The territory, captured from Syria in 1967 and annexed in 1981, remains a highly contentious issue, as most of the international community regards it as occupied Syrian land, despite President Donald Trump’s recognition of Israeli sovereignty.
This diplomatic initiative builds on the success of the 2020 Abraham Accords, which formalized relations with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco. Yet, these agreements faced considerable unpopularity across the Arab world, underscoring the deep public sentiment tied to the Palestinian issue, which could complicate future normalization efforts.
Indeed, a senior Syrian official has firmly linked any normalization to the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, which calls for Israeli withdrawal from all occupied territories and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. Israel’s Foreign Minister, however, countered that conditioning normalization on Palestinian statehood is “not constructive” and a security threat, exposing a fundamental ideological divide that poses a major hurdle to any comprehensive peace and Israel’s grand strategy.