Facts of the Ongoing War: The Palestinian Issue Returns to Centrality and the Failure of External Protection Bets

The current global transformations towards a new world order compel Arabs to reformulate their national identity and their vision for their strategic interests. The recent military confrontations have produced a set of undeniable facts, foremost among them being that the Palestinian issue remains the primary central issue, no matter how much some try to diminish its importance or prioritize other security concerns over it.

The Palestinian issue derives its weight from being the core of the conflict with the Western colonial project embodied by Israel. Facts confirm that Israeli ambitions do not stop at the borders of Palestine but extend to target the wider Arab region within an expansionist vision that seeks to control the region's resources and sovereignty entirely.

The war has revealed that exclusive reliance on the United States to ensure regional security and stability is a losing bet par excellence. Despite the presence of nineteen American military bases in the Gulf region, they did not provide the necessary protection for their host countries when military tensions escalated in the region.

These military bases often turned into a security burden on the countries that hosted them, as they were a direct cause of targeting their infrastructure. It has become clear that the American decision to wage or engage in wars is issued exclusively in favor of the Israeli agenda, without regard for the interests or positions of allied Arab countries.

Political readings indicate that the foreign military presence aims primarily to protect Israel and undermine the unifying Arab identity. These forces seek to transform the region into warring national or sectarian entities, which facilitates the destabilization of the strategic security of major states in the region.

Regarding military capabilities, Arabs have spent hundreds of billions on armaments without achieving real technological superiority, as international restrictions dictate providing them with outdated generations of weapons. Arabs possess wealth and intellect, but they still lack the political will to develop independent national military industries that free them from dependence on foreign powers.

The Joint Arab Defense Treaty, signed in 1945, remains shelved without real activation on the ground. Despite signs of a theoretical awakening towards establishing a political-military alliance led by Saudi Arabia, American and Israeli pressures remain the biggest obstacle to achieving this national ambition.

Arab decision-makers must realize that successful nations formulate their strategies based on a future vision and an accurate reading of changing power balances. The United States is no longer the only power to bet on, which opens the door to wide options for moving towards other international poles such as Russia, China, and Europe.

Exiting from under the American-Israeli umbrella first requires rebuilding national and pan-Arab identity on solid foundations. This transformation requires courage in decision-making and seeking international alliances that ensure balance and protect supreme Arab interests away from absolute dependence on one pole.

Regarding the relationship with Iran, the fact emerges that geography dictates the necessity of coexistence for both sides, as ancient civilizations located on both sides of the Gulf cannot be displaced. Tehran has affirmed on several occasions that it does not seek hostility with its Arab neighbors, and that tensions are often linked to the presence of foreign bases that provoke regional security.

Internal Arab conflicts, as seen in Sudan, Libya, and Yemen, have contributed to weakening the overall national position and allowed external interventions. Instead of directing efforts towards building a joint deterrent force, these conflicts have drained Arab resources and led to sharp divisions that served projects hostile to the region.

The long Palestinian experience, leading up to the events of 2023, has proven that the will to resist is the decisive factor in any conflict. Despite the imbalance of military power, adherence to rights and insistence on confrontation imposes a new reality that traditional war machinery cannot easily resolve.

Arabs today need to move from the stage of condemnation and denunciation statements to the stage of organized strategic action. The cry of 'we are alone' that Palestinians have long echoed is now reverberating in other Arab capitals, necessitating unity of destiny and purpose to confront common existential challenges.

In conclusion, the ongoing war remains a harsh school for learning political and military lessons, where there is no place for the weak in a world order shaped by power. Restoring the initiative requires self-reliance, activating joint Arab action, and understanding that the security of Jerusalem is an integral part of the security of Riyadh, Cairo, and Baghdad.

The ongoing war has proven that the American military presence in the region exists only to protect Israel, not to protect Arab sovereignty.