Dr. Ahmed Rafiq Awad: Rubio expresses a vision that supports the aggression of the occupation and defends the policies of the extreme Israeli right

Dr. Raed Abu Badawiyya: The coming days will witness an American position supporting the annexation, which reflects the continuation of the extremist policies of Israel and Trump

Nabhan Khreisha: "Netanyahu's New Middle East" Can Only Be Achieved by Striking the "Iranian Nuclear", Which Requires American Participation

Dr. Mahmoud Al-Froukh: Rubio’s statements reveal the true face of successive US administrations that compete in supporting and protecting Israel

Dr. Amjad Bashkar: Deep strategic dimensions of Rubio’s statements, as the Arab and Islamic world is wanted to change under the leadership of America and Israel

Samer Anabtawi: Israel seeks to impose its hegemony over the region by promoting normalization with the Arabs and imposing displacement and annexation

Statements by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio highlight the escalation of Israeli-US plans to reshape the Middle East according to extremist visions.

In separate interviews with “I,” writers, political analysts, specialists, and university professors believe that the meeting between Netanyahu and Rubio comes within the framework of unlimited American support for Israel, as it revealed strategic agreements aimed at strengthening Israeli aggression through plans that include displacing Palestinians, annexing parts of the West Bank, and attempts to impose new policies on neighboring Arab countries.

Writers, analysts, specialists and university professors point out that these developments come in light of the current US administration’s efforts to restore Israeli hegemony, which was severely shaken after the events of October 2023. US support for Israel goes beyond political and military dimensions, to include providing advanced weapons and supporting the policies of the Israeli far right, which enhances the climate of escalation in the region. In contrast, this strategy is used to enhance the position of the US President’s administration internally by gaining the support of extremist religious movements that support Israel.

They stress that the meeting reveals dangerous dimensions related to the fate of the Palestinian cause, as plans emerge to force Arab countries to bear the consequences of the Israeli occupation by displacing Palestinians and burdening them with the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. They expect continued American pressure to weaken the axis of resistance and thwart any efforts to reach a just political solution, which places the region in an explosive scene dominated by power calculations and the interests of international alliances, especially the United States and Israel.

Unprecedented US support for Israel politically and militarily

Writer and political analyst Dr. Ahmed Rafiq Awad believes that the current US administration, headed by President Donald Trump, is working to strengthen Israeli aggression in an unprecedented manner, through massive political, military and security support.

Awad points out that this administration adopts Trump's vision, which revolves around displacing the residents of Gaza and annexing the occupied West Bank, in addition to forcible control over the region without Israel paying any price for that.

Awad explains that the US administration is working to rebuild Israel's reputation and deterrent power, which suffered major blows after the events of October 7, 2023.

According to Awad, Israel has lost its prestige and functional role in the region, and the US administration is now working to compensate for all of this by providing the necessary political and military support.

Awad notes that the Trump administration has provided Israel with advanced weapons, including the “mother of all bombs” bunker-busting bomb, which would greatly enhance its military capabilities.

Awad points out that the US administration is working to destroy the two-state solution and force Egypt and Jordan to bear the burdens of the Israeli occupation, stressing that this unprecedented US support makes Israel more aggressive and more dangerous to the region.

Awad touched on the role of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whom he described as an extremist who holds a clear and explicit Christian Zionist vision.

Awad points out that Rubio, before assuming his current position, was known for his terrifying statements that reflected his complete bias towards Israel.

Awad asserts that Rubio, as Secretary of State, now expresses an extremist view that supports Israeli aggression and defends the policies of the extreme right in Israel.

Awad explains that Rubio carries a message of tremendous and endless support for Israel, which comes within the framework of the influence of the extremist Christian lobby in the United States.

Awad believes that the current US administration is defending the vision of the Israeli far right, which makes it adopt aggressive policies towards the region.

Awad cites Rubio’s statements claiming that the world would be better off if Israel were the main actor in the region, and believes that these statements reflect a clear blindness and bias towards Israel’s aggressive reality.

Awad asserts that Israel is not a democratic state as it is promoted, but rather an aggressive state that has not gone a single year without waging war on surrounding countries.

He points out that Israel is not technologically or politically advanced as claimed, but rather a country facing internal and external problems that exceed those faced by other countries in the region, and that Israel is not a welfare state, but rather a country suffering from major economic, social and political problems.

Awad points out that Israeli leaders are being pursued in international courts, and that the Security Council, the United Nations, and the Human Rights Council have issued dozens of resolutions against Israel because of its human rights violations and massacres against the Palestinian people. Israel has also struck all the countries surrounding it, making it an aggressive state par excellence.

Awad believes that the US administration is not only targeting Iran, but is also seeking to control Syria and make decisions there, in addition to controlling the Red Sea and Palestine.

Netanyahu's statements are in harmony with the "Trumpian" discourse

Dr. Raed Abu Badawiyeh, Professor of International Law and International Relations at the Arab American University, believes that the recent statements made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the clear harmony he showed with US President Donald Trump, came within the framework of appeasing Trump, after he appeared as a more extremist and Zionist figure than Netanyahu himself, which prompted the latter to issue statements that are in harmony with the hardline "Trumpian" discourse on the issue of Israeli prisoners and detainees and the issue of displacement.

Abu Badawiya points out that the press conference held by Netanyahu with the US Secretary of State came as part of this strategy, as Netanyahu sought to show his harmony with Trump to the right-wing Israeli street, and to make them believe that there were joint plans between the two countries.

These statements, according to Abu Badawiya, were an attempt to bolster Israeli popular mobilization, and to confirm that Netanyahu is no less extreme than Trump in supporting Israeli interests.

Abu Badawiya believes that Trump's recent statements regarding the Middle East and his interest in regional issues were, in essence, political maneuvers aimed at achieving the maximum American and Israeli interests. Through extremist statements, Trump sought to mobilize international and regional support to achieve Israel's goals, especially with regard to the issue of displacing Palestinians to Egypt and Jordan.

These maneuvers, according to Abu Badawiya, were also aimed at making Arab countries bear the costs of rebuilding the Gaza Strip, and thus shifting responsibility away from Israel, which was the main cause of the Strip’s destruction.

Abu Badawiya points out that the other goal of these maneuvers is to involve the Arab countries in the management and governance of the Gaza Strip after the war of extermination, which would ease the burden on Israel and push the Arabs to bear great political and financial responsibilities.

Abu Badawiya points out that Arab countries have already begun to respond to these pressures, as Arab initiatives have emerged to support reconstruction and management of the sector, but these initiatives may not necessarily be in line with Trump and Netanyahu’s vision, but are also a Palestinian demand.

Abu Badawiya stresses that any change in the Middle East according to the American and Israeli vision cannot take place without ignoring the Palestinian issue, not only in the Gaza Strip, but also in the West Bank.

Abu Badawiya expects that the coming days will witness an American position supporting the annexation of parts of the West Bank, whether partially or completely, which reflects the continuation of the extremist policies of Israel and Trump.

Abu Badawiya points out that ending the Palestinian division has become an urgent necessity to prevent Trump and Netanyahu from achieving their goals.

He stresses that Arab pressure on the Palestinians to end the division must be carried out according to a Palestinian vision, not according to an Israeli or American vision.

Abu Badawiya believes that the new Middle East arrangement stems from the interests of Israel and America, which seek to weaken the axis opposing the Zionist project in the region.

Abu Badawiya expects that the coming period will witness American and Israeli attempts to weaken Iran and its influence in the region, without resorting to military force, but rather through diplomatic pressures and political understandings.

He believes that the Russian-American summit between Putin and Trump may have an impact on changing the regional equations in favor of Israel and America.

Abu Badawiya wonders about the extent of the success of the American and Israeli vision in changing the Middle East, especially in light of the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the failure to end the Palestinian division.

Abu Badawiya points out that Arab normalization with Israel may not continue in light of the situation in the West Bank and the war of extermination in Gaza, which complicates the achievement of American and Israeli goals in the region.

Netanyahu's Ambitions and the Trump Administration's Adoption of His Aggressive Policies

Journalist Nabhan Khreisha explains that the hopes expressed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to achieve accomplishments that will change the face of the entire Middle East, stressing that Israel is on the verge of “victories we have never dreamed of before,” reflect Netanyahu’s broad ambitions that depend largely on the adoption by the administration of US President Donald Trump of Israel’s aggressive policies toward the Palestinians and the region in general.

In Palestine, Khreisha believes that Netanyahu is working with Trump to implement a plan aimed at displacing Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and establishing what is called the “Gaza Riviera.” Netanyahu described this plan during his press conference with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio as “the only plan that can succeed.” To achieve this goal, Netanyahu is urging Trump to force Egypt and Jordan to settle the displaced from Gaza, as well as to displace the residents of the West Bank later.

Khraisheh points out that Israel has old plans related to Gaza, including the “Ben Gurion Canal” project dating back to 1963. This canal, which aimed to connect Eilat on the Red Sea to Gaza on the Mediterranean Sea, was considered an alternative to the Suez Canal after it was closed to Israeli navigation during the era of Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser. However, the project faced geographical difficulties due to the Gaza Strip remaining outside Israeli control. However, if Trump’s plan to seize the Strip is implemented, 100 kilometers will be shortened from the planned canal’s length, in addition to benefiting from the oil and gas fields in Gaza’s land and sea.

Khreisha asserts that changing the face of the Middle East for Netanyahu also means thwarting the Palestinians’ dream of establishing an independent state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, by separating the West Bank from the Gaza Strip after displacing its residents, and imposing full or partial Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank with unlimited American support, according to the plans of the Israeli right-wing government headed by Netanyahu.

On the regional level, Khreisheh believes that Netanyahu seeks to weaken Hezbollah’s military and political power, through a series of assassinations of its leaders, and to limit its role as a major player in Lebanese politics. Netanyahu called in his press conference with Rubio for the dismantling of Hezbollah, considering that the collapse of the Assad regime in Syria and Iran’s loss of two key pillars on Israel’s borders pave the way for a new Middle East free of Iranian influence.

Khreisha points out that “Netanyahu’s New Middle East” can only be achieved by striking Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities, which requires American participation in any potential military attack. Netanyahu is also counting on normalizing relations with Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries, which would ensure Israeli economic dominance over the region, its natural resources, and its markets.

As for the statements of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said that the presence of countries like Israel in the region would make the world a better place, they reflect, according to Khreisheh, the state of harmony and agreement between the Trump administration and Israel. This contradicts some expectations that Trump’s policies in his second term will differ from his previous term, as it seems that US support for Israel will continue strongly in achieving its regional goals.

Clear agreements between Trump and Netanyahu on sensitive issues

Journalist Dr. Mahmoud Al-Froukh believes that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is well aware of the nature of the statements he makes about changing the face of the Middle East, based on the results of his many meetings in Washington, especially those that brought him together with US President Donald Trump and his extremist Republican administration.

These meetings, according to Al-Faroukh, resulted in clear agreements between the two parties on sensitive regional issues, including the position on the Palestinian issue and the rights of the Palestinian people.

Al-Froukh points out that during his visit to Washington, Netanyahu received American support to achieve several strategic goals, including reshaping Lebanon as a state free of Hezbollah weapons, which are considered a threat to Israeli security from the north. There was also agreement to redraw the map of Syria in a way that would reduce the influence of the axis of resistance in the region, while maintaining the Israeli presence in some Syrian areas, especially the occupied Golan Heights.

He points out that the Israeli-American agreements also included advancing normalization with new Arab countries, within the framework of what is known as the “Abraham Accords,” with a special focus on normalization with Saudi Arabia. It is also believed that there is an understanding about the possibility of Israel striking Iranian nuclear facilities, a goal that Tel Aviv has been seeking for decades.

Al-Froukh believes that the large bombs that recently arrived in Israel may be part of the preparations for this strike, which aims to weaken Iranian influence in the region and reshape the Middle East according to an Israeli-American vision.

Al-Froukh asserts that Netanyahu’s recent statements, especially during his meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, reveal clear and ongoing coordination between the Trump administration and Netanyahu’s government on various regional issues, including the Gaza Strip file, as the statements indicated the need to eliminate Hamas and ensure that it does not rule the Strip in the future, while emphasizing the importance of the return of Israeli prisoners. In this way, Israel seeks to achieve its vision of a Gaza without weapons, without Hamas, and without resistance, as part of its project to reshape the Middle East.

Regarding the issue of displacing Palestinians from Gaza, Al-Faroukh believes that there is an American-Israeli agreement on the necessity of implementing this plan, whether through forced or voluntary migration. However, the positions of Jordan and Egypt, supported by major Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia, may constitute an obstacle to this plan, which may push Israel to focus on achieving another goal, which is Gaza without Hamas.

Al-Froukh says: “The statements of Marco Rubio, the Zionist Republican representative who is affiliated with the evangelical movement that supports Israel, reveal the true face of successive American administrations, which compete in supporting and protecting Israel. These statements also confirm the control of the Zionist lobby over US foreign policy, which reflects the continuation of the strategic alliance between Washington and Tel Aviv in achieving their common goals in the region.”

Extremist visions aim to undermine previous efforts related to the Palestinian situation

Professor of Political and International Sciences, Dr. Amjad Bashkar, believes that the recent visit of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Israel, and the statements issued during his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, are an important event that comes at a very sensitive time.

Bashkar points out that these statements, which spoke about changing the face of the Middle East, carry deep strategic dimensions, as the Arab and Islamic world is intended to be the party that is being changed, while the United States and Israel lead this process of change.

Bashkar points out that Rubio's statements reflect the extremist views of the Israelis, especially the biblical trend that aims to undermine all previous efforts related to the Palestinian situation, and even cancel the regional agreements that Israel signed with some Arab countries, including the United States' allies in the region.

These statements, according to Bashkar, show that the current US administration is adopting an extremist discourse that ignores even moderate views within Israel itself.

Bashkar asserts that Netanyahu and Rubio’s statements come within the framework of reviving the “New Middle East” project, which is a project that is in line with the American and Israeli visions aimed at strengthening normalization agreements, especially the “Abraham Accords,” as the goal of this project is to bring about geopolitical changes in the region, with a special targeting of Egypt and Jordan, as the United States and Israel seek to reshape the political map of the Middle East.

Bashkar explains that Netanyahu is betting on exploiting the presence of the Trump administration to achieve Israel's strategic goals, which have not been achieved since 1948. Israel and the United States are working in parallel to change the Middle East, not only through geopolitical changes, but also by trying to bring about changes in the ruling regimes in Arab countries, including Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and Jordan.

Bashkar points out that Rubio's statements, in which he praised Israel's superiority in the region, reflect the unlimited American support for Israel, which is considered the "51st state" of the United States.

These statements, according to Bashkar, aim to promote normalization with Israel and impose it as a model to be emulated in the Middle East, regardless of the crimes it commits against the Palestinians and its repeated violations of international law.

Bashkar asserts that Rubio's statements constitute an implicit condemnation of every country that does not adopt the Israeli approach, which reflects the continued American quest to change the Middle East in Israel's favor.

These statements, according to Bashkar, show that Israel is in a state of euphoria with the presence of the Trump administration, as it seeks to achieve its expansionist goals and dominate the region, while directing strategic strikes at Iran.

Bashkar asserts that Rubio and Netanyahu’s statements reflect the continuation of American and Israeli efforts to change the Middle East, by pressuring allies and opponents to strengthen Israel’s position. However, these efforts face major challenges in light of the Arab and Islamic popular rejection of Israeli hegemony, and its repeated violations of human rights and international law.

Bashkar believes that the current American administration, with its formation closest to the Israeli right, sees any defeat for Israel as a strategic defeat for the United States of America in the Middle East, and therefore it places all its weight in favor of Israel in all fields.

The claim that Israel's existence makes the world a better place contradicts the facts.

Writer and political analyst Samer Anabtawi points out that American and Israeli plans to change the face of the Middle East are not new, but rather are ongoing, despite the difficulties and obstacles. However, Donald Trump’s rise to power in the United States gave a strong boost to these plans, as Netanyahu found in Trump a strategic ally who would help him achieve Israel’s greater goals in the region.

Anbatawi confirms that the agreement between Netanyahu and Trump began before the US elections, when Netanyahu visited the US Congress and announced his support for Trump, which strengthened the relationship between the two parties. The main goal of this alliance was to change the map of the Middle East and redistribute the geographical and political roles in the region. This plan includes neutralizing the Iranian role, weakening the role of the resistance, and tampering with the Palestinian interior through displacement policies, which Netanyahu insists on greatly.

Anbatawi points out that Netanyahu's meeting with the US Secretary of State came within the framework of these goals, as Israel seeks to impose its hegemony over the region through two main projects: the first is the "Abrahamic Project" which aims to promote normalization between Israel and the Arab countries, and the second is the displacement policy which aims to empty the West Bank of its population and annex it, all of which is taking place under the umbrella of the US-Israeli consensus to create a new Middle East that serves the interests of both parties.

Anbatawi explains that Trump seeks to reshape the Middle East according to his vision, as he wants Israel to be the dominant power in the region.

Anbatawi points out that the US Secretary of State's statements about the existence of "more countries like Israel" in the region are dangerous statements, as the existence of one country like Israel was the cause of bloodshed and instability in the Middle East. If there were more countries like it, the region would have been drowning in a sea of blood.

Anbatawi asserts that Israel is an artificial state, created to serve the goals of the United States and the West, whether on the ideological level or common interests, and it exists to expand at the expense of the peoples of the region, starting with the Palestinian people and extending to the rest of the Arab peoples.

Anbatawi stresses that the claim that the existence of Israel makes the world better is a claim that contradicts the facts, as Israel is the main reason for violations of international law and the commission of massacres in the region, believing that the world would be better without Israel and its expansionist policies, and without the American hegemony that supports it.

Anbatawi points out that the global consensus on criticizing Israel for its repeated violations confirms that its existence is not a solution, but rather a source of problems and conflicts in the Middle East.