Consortium News: 02-07-2025,
Israel has driven the region to a 4,000-km swash of violence from Libya to Iran through its reckless, lawless, and warmongering actions, all ultimately aimed at preventing a State of Palestine by “remaking” the Middle East.
Destruction in Bat Yam, Israel, after an Iranian missile strike, June 15, 2025. (Yoav Keren / Wikimedia Commons/ CC BY-SA 3.0)
By Jeffrey D. Sachs and Sybil Fares
Other News
The attack by Israel and the U.S. on Iran had two significant effects.
First, it once again exposed the root cause of turmoil in the region: Israel’s project to “reshape the Middle East” through regime-change, aimed at maintaining its dominance and blocking a Palestinian state. Second, it highlighted the futility and recklessness of this strategy.
The only path to peace is a comprehensive agreement that addresses Palestine’s statehood, Israel’s security, Iran’s peaceful nuclear program and the economic recovery of the region.
Israel wants to topple the Iranian government because Iran has supported proxies and non-state actors aligned with the Palestinians. Israel has also consistently undermined U.S.-Iran diplomacy regarding Iran’s nuclear program.
Instead of endless wars, Israel’s security can be ensured by two key diplomatic steps – ending militancy by establishing a Palestinian state with U.N. Security Council guarantees, and lifting sanctions on Iran in exchange for a peaceful and verifiable nuclear program.
The far-right Israeli government’s refusal to accept a Palestinian state is the root of the problem.