Can 2025 Mark a New Era of Peace in the Middle East?
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RDA Gulf Correspondent - . December 30, 2024
- . Update: December 30, 2024 4:01 pm
The shifting tectonic plates in the Middle East cast a shadow over the region’s journey into 2025 making one wonder if the entire region can find a way to peace. Speaking on CNBC-TV18, former Cabinet Secretariat Official Anju Gupta came forward with critical inputs on the shifts in this region particularly in Syria and the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
The Israeli-Hamas War and Regional Tensions
The year 2024 began with the intensification of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Since the war’s outbreak in October 2023 over 45,000 Palestinians have lost their lives with the United Nations reporting a child’s death every hour in Gaza. Months of ceasefire negotiations collapsed as both sides traded blame.
It intensified into full-blown conflict when Israel assassinated Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s leader in Beirut. Retaliating, Iran hit a target with a barrage of 180 missiles, escalating fear for a broader regional war. Subsequently, the war had Israel launch military operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon culminating in a weakly consolidated 60 days of a ceasefire agreement characterized by several violations.
Meanwhile, Israel’s recent airstrikes on Yemen’s Houthi targets signal growing uncertainty about U.S. involvement in regional stability under the incoming U.S. administration.
The Syrian Conflict’s Escalation
Syria’s civil war also flared anew as rebels launched an offensive against President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. The country remains fragmented with territories controlled by various state and non-state actors including the Assad regime, Kurdish led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Turkey backed factions. Gupta explained that Syria’s instability could revive ISIS which still has 10,000 fighters and 50,000 family members in SDF custody.
“The threat that Syria poses today,” Gupta said, “is much more than what Afghanistan posed in August 2021.” A U.S. policy shift could lead to the collapse of the SDF potentially allowing ISIS to regroup. The humanitarian crisis in Syria continues to deepen, further complicating peace efforts.
Future Prospects for the Middle East
All said and done, the numerous military victories of Israel to kill Hamas and Hezbollah leaderships do not solve any of the conflicts in this region Gupta pointed out. The fragility of ceasefires and the intertwining of crises speaks well of the complexity of peace. The Middle East sits at a crossroads in 2025,” said Gupta. Whether the region can surmount its internal divisions and external pressures for a new dawn of peace is something yet to be known.
