Israel Launches a Dual Campaign Against Both Resistance Forces and Moderate Actors

By Dr. Dheeb Al-Qaraleh

Amid the bloody regional landscape that has dominated the Middle East for nearly twenty months, Israel continues to wage open-ended wars across several arenas — most notably in Gaza Strip, Lebanon, Yemen, and Syria.

While the dominant narrative promoted by some Western governments and segments of Arab societies — including certain elites — frames these wars as targeting only the so-called “Axis of Resistance,” reality reveals another, equally dangerous dimension: a parallel political war aimed at the Arab “moderation” camp.

Dual Targeting: Military Force Against Resistance — Political Warfare Against Moderation

It is true that Israel’s military campaign focuses on resistance groups. Yet the political war it wages against Arab states pursuing stability and diplomacy is far more insidious.

The clearest recent example came when Israel blocked an Arab diplomatic delegation — including four Arab foreign ministers alongside the Secretary-General of the Arab League — from visiting Ramallah to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

This was not a routine diplomatic obstruction, but rather a new chapter in a systematic political offensive against Arab moderates, unfolding across several fronts:

First: Direct Pressure on Egypt Through Gaza

Israel’s war on Gaza is not solely aimed at dismantling resistance forces. It is deliberately engineered to produce a humanitarian catastrophe that pushes Gaza’s population toward the Egyptian border.

Through this strategy, Israel seeks to impose forced displacement on Palestinians — a move that directly threatens the national security of Egypt.

Second: Threatening Jordan via the West Bank

Ongoing abuses against Palestinians in the West Bank signal a similar scenario. After attempting to “resolve” Gaza, Israel appears poised to drive Palestinians toward Jordan — the only remaining geographic outlet.

Jordan has explicitly labeled such a development a declaration of war, repeatedly warning of its grave consequences for sovereignty and internal stability.

Third: Indirect Targeting of the Gulf States

Despite the lack of direct geographical borders between Israel and the Gulf, the region has not been spared Israeli political pressure.

Israeli officials have floated proposals to resettle Gazans in Saudi Arabia and accused Qatar of funding and supporting Hamas — attempts to disrupt regional diplomacy and undermine Gulf engagement with the Palestinian issue.

Fourth: Undermining the Palestinian Authority

Perhaps the greatest contradiction lies in Israel’s treatment of the Palestinian Authority.

Even as Israel wages war against Hamas as part of the “resistance axis,” it simultaneously tightens political, economic, and security pressure on the Palestinian Authority — revealing a broader strategy aimed at dismantling all remaining Palestinian legitimacy, whether militant or moderate.

Why Does Israel Target Everyone?

The core question is clear: why does Israel make no distinction between resistance forces and moderate Arab actors?

The answer is equally clear: Israel remains an exclusionary occupying power, now governed by an extremist right-wing coalition that dominates both government and opposition — as well as the deeper structures of the state.

This political order does not seek peace, nor does it accept the existence of a strong Arab partner — whether armed or diplomatic.

Israel is exploiting a favorable regional and international moment to entrench its dominance, advance expansionist projects, and impose new realities with minimal cost, amid Arab fragmentation and international complacency.

Conclusion

What is unfolding is not merely a war against “resistance,” but a comprehensive assault on the Arab political project in all its forms and strategies.

The real challenge today is not which path Arab actors choose — confrontation or diplomacy — but recognizing a central truth: Israel does not differentiate between those who carry weapons and those who extend hands of peace. It seeks to dismantle all opposition to its occupation-driven vision, regardless of language, methods, or political posture.