Ahmad Mansour

A New Era in the Middle East: Admiration for Israel Grows Among Youth. “The Quality of a Smartphone Matters More Than Slogans About Returning to Jerusalem” [OPINION]

While Europe continues to rely on tired clichés, talking about the “spiral of violence” and “escalation on both sides,” a new era is emerging in the Middle East. Some Arab youth are celebrating—openly or quietly—Israel’s strikes on Iran. They no longer desire Israel’s destruction but instead aspire to emulate it. This aspiration, if it matures, could reshape the strategic balance of power in the region. It won’t immediately lead to the rise of democracy—the road to that is long. But one thing is certain: the cult of death and the idea of annihilating Israel are losing their grip.

On June 14, 2025, Iranians gathered on the hills north of Tehran to witness the exchange of blows between Israel and Iran. Israel’s military strength—whether through its successes against Hamas, operations in Iran, or targeted eliminations of Hezbollah commanders using exploding pagers—evokes not only fear but also respect. Sometimes even admiration. Admiration for a democracy that doesn’t collapse under the pressure of attacks but instead strengthens its bonds. For a society that, despite threats, not only survives but thrives. Among some Arab youth, a new desire is emerging: not to destroy Israel but to become more like it. This longing, if it matures, could transform the strategic dynamics of the region. It won’t immediately usher in democracy—the path is long. But the cult of death and the notion of destroying Israel are losing their appeal.

In these days, many residents of the Middle East—in Syria, Lebanon, the Gaza Strip, Saudi Arabia, and the Gulf states—are openly or quietly celebrating Israel’s strikes on Iran. There will be no true peace or lasting future for the people of the Middle East until the Iranian issue is resolved at its core. The regime in Tehran, fueled by billions in oil profits, sustains a vision that should have long been consigned to the ideological scrapheap of history: the annihilation of Israel.

To achieve this goal, the regime has extended its tentacles across the region: it created and armed Hezbollah in Lebanon, turned the Houthis in Yemen into its puppets, built paramilitary groups in Iraq and Syria, instrumentalized terror in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank—and the crowning piece of this deadly architecture is its decades-long program to develop a nuclear bomb. As long as the mullahs rule, terror in the Middle East will remain a hydra—unconquerable, as new heads keep growing back. But if this regime falls, the hydra will become a headless snake—still dangerous but lacking direction and a strategic center.

The vacuum left by the U.S. withdrawal from the Middle East has caused trauma in many Arab countries. They realized that without Israel, they are defenseless against Iran’s expansionism—militarily, ideologically, and technologically. An expert in geopolitics predicts Israel’s next target: “It’s not out of the question.”

At the same time, a quiet but profound revolution is brewing in the Arab world: war fatigue. In Syria, Lebanon, and even the Gaza Strip, people are fed up. They are tired of “heroic operations” that leave only ruins in their wake. They are tired of Islamists whose “liberation” leads to new forms of oppression. The new generation doesn’t want to die—it wants to live. Today’s priorities are education, economic development, entrepreneurship, tourism, and technology. The quality of a smartphone matters more than slogans about “returning to Jerusalem.”