Two years have passed since Hamas’s #terrorist attack on Israel on October 7—an assault carried out with Iran’s support, which turned into one of the bloodiest tragedies in Israel’s modern history. This event not only claimed the lives of thousands of innocent people in both Gaza and Israel, but also shook the security and geopolitical landscape of the Middle East. The primary victims of this cycle of violence are ordinary people trapped in the web of terrorist policies and ideological calculations.

To understand #Israel’s reaction to such an attack, one must consider the historical context. For the past twenty centuries, the Jewish people have repeatedly been the target of religious and nationalist hatred: from persecution by the Church in the Middle Ages and the Crusades between Islam and Christianity, to the rise of extreme nationalism in Europe and its peak in the Nazi genocide. Perhaps no other people in the world have simultaneously been targeted by both Christianity and Islam in such a systematic way. These bitter experiences have made survival and self-defense an inseparable part of Israel’s identity.

Yet today’s Middle East is not the same as in the past. Over the last two years, Israel has succeeded in weakening many of its longstanding enemies. This situation presents the Arab world with a new opportunity: instead of searching for foreign enemies, they should focus on addressing their internal crises. However, international media’s heavy focus on the Gaza war has overshadowed other dangerous developments.

In Syria, the Islamic government under Ahmad Sharieh has embarked on a campaign of repression that carries the hallmarks of genocide against the Kurds—a people who, throughout modern history, have been the most loyal allies of the free world and strategic partners of Israel and the Jewish people. Strengthening such a regime will sooner or later double Iran’s direct threat to Israel. The experience of Khomeini’s rise in Iran demonstrates that if the world turns a blind eye, authoritarian leaders can easily become epicenters of regional instability.

At the same time, Turkey under Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has also taken a dangerous path. Once presenting himself as a moderate democrat, Erdoğan has now become one of the most influential leaders of political Islam and a staunch supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood across the region. His role in Middle Eastern security dynamics poses a threat not only to Israel but to the entire region.

For ensuring Israel’s stability and maintaining the balance of power in the Middle East, supporting the Kurds in Western #Kurdistan (Rojava – North Syria) is not a matter of choice but a strategic necessity and an international responsibility. The Kurds are not only a bulwark against the expansion of extremist Islamism and Iran’s influence but also have the potential to become a stabilizing force and a partner for cooperation with the West and Israel.

October 7 is not merely the reminder of a tragedy—it marks the redefinition of Middle Eastern geopolitics. The region’s future depends on whether the free world and the Arab states can distinguish between historical hostilities and the new imperatives of security. What is certain is this: strengthening authoritarian regimes in Syria and Turkey while ignoring Kurdish rights will ultimately threaten not only Israel, but the entire security architecture of the Middle East.

#MiddleEast  #October7 #Israel #MiddleEast