Do you remember Condoleezza Rice’s “new Middle East”?

During the 2006 war on Lebanon, Rice spoke as if war could give birth to a new regional order. Twenty years later, Washington seems to be returning to the same dream. Only this time, Donald Trump wants to assemble the pieces himself.

After the war with Iran, Trump wants something “much bigger” in the Middle East. According to recent reports, his administration is working on a post-war strategy built around three ideas: containing Iran, closing the open files left after 7 October, and expanding the Abraham Accords, especially through a possible Saudi-Israeli normalization deal.

At first glance, this looks like a grand strategy. In reality, it is an old map with new labels.

The United States is again trying to build a regional order from above. It wants allies to contain Iran. It wants Gaza, Lebanon and Syria managed through security arrangements. It wants Arab normalization with Israel to continue. And it wants all of this to happen while the Palestinian question is treated as a technical problem, not a political wound.

This is the mistake at the heart of the plan.

Washington wants to “solve” the Middle East without solving Palestine. It wants to close files without addressing the reasons those files remain open. It wants to normalize Israel’s position in the region while leaving Palestinians under occupation, siege, displacement and permanent uncertainty. This is not strategy. It is avoidance.

Washington wants to “solve” the Middle East without solving Palestine. It wants to close files without addressing the reasons those files remain open. It wants to normalize Israel’s position in the region while leaving Palestinians under occupation, siege, displacement and permanent uncertainty.

This is not strategy. It is avoidance.

The first pillar of the plan is Iran. Washington wants a tighter regional front to contain Tehran. This is not new. Since 1979, every American........

© Middle East Monitor