There’s a ‘New Middle East’, but not the one Israel planned | Pinch Point

Summary

The documentary argues that Israel’s pursuit of a “new Middle East” has produced a very different regional order from the one its leaders envisioned. Rather than integrating Israel while sidelining Palestine, its military actions have encouraged neighboring countries to cooperate and build routes and partnerships that may bypass Israel.

Two visions of a “new Middle East”

Shimon Peres’s 1993 vision linked peace with Palestinians to regional prosperity. Benjamin Netanyahu later promoted regional integration and a trade corridor connecting Asia and Europe, while presenting a map that omitted Palestinian territory. The programme says Netanyahu believed Israel could normalize relations with Arab states without resolving the Palestinian issue.

The proposed India–Middle East–Europe corridor

Announced at the 2023 G20 summit, the India–Middle East–Europe Corridor (IMEC) was intended to connect India to Europe through the Middle East using rail, shipping, communications infrastructure, and energy links. The documentary says Israel saw the project as a route to closer ties with Saudi Arabia and a way to make Israel a gateway between Asia and Europe.

Egypt and Turkey objected to being left out. Egypt’s Suez Canal Authority questioned the route’s competitiveness, while Turkey’s president argued that no viable corridor could exclude Turkey. Saudi normalization with Israel was reportedly under discussion, with Palestinian statehood a stated Saudi condition.

After October 7

The programme says Hamas cited Netanyahu’s UN map and the marginalization of Palestinians among its reasons for its October 7 attack, which killed about 1,200 Israelis and resulted in hostages being taken. Israel’s ensuing war in Gaza, described by the presenter as indiscriminate and genocidal, caused mass deaths and displacement.

The documentary reports that Egypt feared the forced displacement of Palestinians into Sinai. It says Israel’s seizure of the Rafah crossing, along with continuing military construction and demolitions, has altered the border area despite a ceasefire agreement.

Expansion and regional escalation

The programme describes Israeli actions in the occupied West Bank, southern Lebanon, and Syria as part of a broader shift toward territorial control and sustained military operations. It cites a 2025 Israeli parliamentary vote on extending sovereignty over the West Bank, Israeli advances and demolitions in Lebanon, and strikes and territorial expansion in Syria after the fall of its pro-Iranian government in 2024.

It also quotes an Israeli military report advocating the capacity for prolonged regional action, including against countries that are peace partners.

Growing alarm among neighboring states

A 2025 Israeli strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar, while ceasefire discussions were underway, is presented as a blow to diplomacy and a turning point in regional perceptions of Israel.

The documentary says Egypt increased its military readiness in Sinai and deepened security ties with China. It also describes Netanyahu as lobbying for a broader war with Iran.

The Iran war and alternative routes

The programme says the 2026 US-Israeli war with Iran led Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz and strike regional targets, disrupting energy exports and trade. Netanyahu proposed pipelines across the Arabian Peninsula to Israel’s Mediterranean ports.

However, the documentary argues that the crisis also accelerated regional cooperation. Gulf states moved goods overland, advanced rail and pipeline projects, and discussed shared reserves and logistics. The programme cites proposed routes through Jordan, Syria, Turkey, and Iraq, as well as closer Turkey–Egypt energy and security ties.

New alliances and the programme’s conclusion

The documentary points to mediation efforts involving several regional states and reports that Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement in August 2026. It says Turkey invited Egypt to consider joining and reports that Turkey and Pakistan later agreed to deploy forces to Saudi Arabia during escalating Houthi attacks.

The programme concludes that the region is increasingly seeking security through cooperation among its own states rather than relying solely on outside powers. In its view, Israel’s wars and opposition to diplomacy have helped generate this cooperation—and left Israel increasingly outside the emerging regional arrangements.

Presenter and contributors

Mouhammad Hassan is the presenter. Additional interviewees and broadcast commentators are not identified by name in the subtitles.