More than two decades after the Arab Peace Initiative was endorsed at the Beirut Summit in 2002, it now appears that the initiative — built on the simple formula of “normalisation in exchange for a full Israeli withdrawal” — has reached its effective end.
Experience with Israel over the past twenty years has proven that Tel Aviv was never serious about peace. Instead, it worked to empty the initiative of meaning, just as it once destroyed the formula of “land for peace.”
Over time, it became clear that the Arab Peace Initiative was never given a genuine chance: not by Israel, which pursued expansion and aggression, nor by the United States, which consistently refused to apply real pressure on its ally. Meanwhile, Arab states clung to it as a political reference point, until it became little more than a slogan floating in the air rather than a viable project.
From Initiative to Confrontation
Today, as Israel expands its war from Gaza to the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and even into the Gulf through its strike on Doha, the moment has come to move beyond the rhetoric of initiatives. A new discourse must emerge — one grounded in a realistic reading of power balances and of the true nature of Israel’s project in the region.
Israel is no longer concerned with peace. Even the much-touted Abraham Accords have been bypassed. Netanyahu’s government no longer seeks recognition ceremonies or official photographs. In its worldview, Israel is the “regional policeman” that dictates the rules, imposes conditions, and expects others to submit.
This logic is based on naked force. Israel offers its neighbours no commitment to respect sovereignty or halt aggression. On the contrary, it reserves for itself the right to launch airstrikes and incursions whenever it deems fit.
So-called “security agreements” amount to little more than frameworks to cement Israel’s superiority and maintain regional submission. Any talk of peace or stability under such conditions is nothing but illusion.
Breaking Old Frameworks
Israel has not only bypassed the Arab Peace Initiative or the Abraham Accords — it has also undermined the foundations of historic peace treaties.
- With Egypt, the project of displacing Gazans into Sinai threatens the Camp David Accords and Egyptian national security.
- With Jordan, settlement expansion in the Jordan Valley has eviscerated the Wadi Araba Agreement.
- With Lebanon and Syria, Israel deals entirely outside any framework of understanding or accord.
Striking Doha — Washington’s strategic ally and a key mediator in regional conflicts — signals that Israel has crossed every red line, emboldened to pursue an open-ended confrontation.
Lebanon is deeply exposed to this shift. Israel, acting as “regional policeman,” has never ceased its threats: assassinations, air raids, and attempts to impose “security formulas” that strip Beirut of sovereignty.
Although Lebanon’s government recently took the historic step of mandating the army to monopolise weapons and draft an implementation plan, Tel Aviv is pressing to exploit the moment, imposing conditions through threats or even limited military operations.
Given Lebanon’s proximity to Gaza and Syria, any escalation in Israel’s war inevitably reverberates across its borders. For this reason, any new Arab or regional project cannot ignore Lebanon’s central role — not only as a frontline, but as a key arena Israel seeks to subjugate in order to dismantle the idea of resistance.
Doha Summit: A Turning Point
The extraordinary summit in Doha therefore carries doubled importance. Arab and regional capitals increasingly recognise that Israel has become a comprehensive threat, and that traditional statements of condemnation are no longer sufficient.
What is required now is a new strategic path: a project of regional integration that extends beyond politics into defence, joint security, economy, energy, and technology.
- Militarily: the region must deter Israel through collective defence.
- Economically: national economies must be interlinked so that any attack on one state is a threat to all.
- Strategically: such integration can create a new balance that weakens Israel’s ability to dominate the region unilaterally.
Netanyahu’s actions in Gaza illustrate his mindset. He openly admitted to demolishing 50 residential towers, using mass destruction as a tool. The message was twofold: to close the prisoner file by burying captives under rubble, and to strike at Hamas’s negotiating team, effectively shutting down any political horizon.
Thus, Netanyahu entrenches the military option alone, pursuing an ideological project of “Greater Israel,” convinced that the current moment — with Donald Trump in the White House — is ripe for its advancement.
Washington’s Green Light
Yet Israel is not acting alone. An operation as large as striking Doha could not have occurred without an American green light — whether through direct involvement or deliberate silence.
It is illogical to imagine that fifteen Israeli fighter jets could head toward the Gulf without being detected by America’s vast regional radar networks, which extend as far as the South China Sea. If Trump authorised or overlooked it, then Israel acted as part of full partnership with Washington, which explains its boldness in widening the war.
Towards a Strategic Arab–Islamic Response
This moment demands that Arab and regional powers move beyond traditional initiatives. The path forward is not through awaiting American proposals or Israeli concessions, but through a strategic project of independent regional integration.
Such integration must take shape in:
- Joint defence systems,
- Interlinked economic and industrial projects,
- Shared energy and technology initiatives, including artificial intelligence.
Only by creating interdependent economies and a collective security shield can the region deter Israel and transform its balance of power.
History shows Israel understands only the language of force. It recognises peace only when it serves its immediate interests. As long as Tel Aviv believes it can redraw the region’s map at will, the response must be a strategic project that reshapes the balance of power on the ground.
From Condemnation to Action
The Doha emergency summit marked a political declaration that the era of silence and empty statements is over. It reframed the scene, recognising that aggression is no longer confined to Gaza, Lebanon, or Syria, but now targets the very heart of regional mediation.
The greatest challenge before the summit lies in converting the political consensus expressed by Arab and Islamic leaders into practical tools of pressure:
- Coordinated negotiating positions that deny Netanyahu the ability to exploit divisions,
- Joint military, economic, and diplomatic initiatives that strengthen Palestinian resilience and create real deterrence.
Equally vital is establishing a permanent follow-up mechanism, ensuring summit decisions do not remain mere communiqués but evolve into concrete actions — from diplomatic pressure in international forums, to military coordination that protects vulnerable states like Lebanon and Syria.
The opportunity lies in creating a regional safety net that restores real solidarity, paves the way for a comprehensive ceasefire in Gaza tied to reconstruction guarantees, and prevents Israel from exploiting truces to resume aggression months later.
For Lebanon in particular, any Arab decision to support its institutions and army would provide a critical pillar against Israeli attempts to impose security formulas that override Beirut’s sovereignty.
Conclusion: From Submission to Partnership
If acted upon, the Doha Summit could shift the region from a posture of submission to one of strategic partnership and parity — offering Lebanon and Palestine, above all, a chance to move from endless attrition toward protection and integration.
This would mark not just a political moment, but a strategic turning point in how the Arab and Islamic world confronts Netanyahu’s vision of unchecked war and regional domination.
To Doha: please reconsider your investments in usa. Just imagine for a while. How come Trump did not know the attack?? If this is so then the american ships did not detect the 15 israel planes?? Impossible!!!!!. Trump is playing cat n mouse with u. He knew the attack but decided to stay silent until it happened. He is with the israel. Both netanyahu n trump are the culprits. Please doha, i beg u , for the sake of gaza and your fellow muslims to withdraw all the investments. Make them pay for what tjey have done. Please, l beg you once more.