For the last six years, a particular narrative has circulated through the pro‑Israel media ecosystem: that the future of Middle Eastern stability lies not in resolving the Palestinian question, but in deepening ties with the United Arab Emirates. In this telling, the UAE is the leading Arab actor, the responsible regional stakeholder, the state most committed to dialogue and modernization. Gaza is treated as a humanitarian footnote. However, in the Israel-UAE dialogue, Palestinian political legitimacy is not just minimized; it is erased. And the states that actually hold the keys to Gaza diplomacy – Qatar, Egypt, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia – are pushed entirely out of the frame.

This narrative was always analytically flawed. But the events of the past year have revealed just how strategically dangerous it is for Israel itself. By acting as if Gaza were marginal and the UAE were central, Israel has misread the structure of the region, misjudged the sources of Arab legitimacy, and miscalculated the diplomatic environment in which it must operate. The result is an unprecedented level of international isolation and strategic exposure.

Gaza as the Regional Strategic Center of Gravity

Gaza is not simply a battlefield or a humanitarian crisis. It has become the regional strategic center of gravity – the place where even inaction produces international strategic effects. Gaza determines the legitimacy architecture of the Arab and Muslim worlds. It shapes the political bandwidth of the United States. It defines the diplomatic maneuver space of Saudi Arabia. It anchors the mediation authority of Qatar and Egypt. It influences Turkey and Pakistan’s political positioning. And it provides Iran with narrative leverage that no amount of military pressure can erase.

Every major regional file – Lebanon, Yemen, the Red Sea corridor, normalization, even Iran – ultimately routes back through Gaza. This was true long before the current war, and it remains true today. The idea that Israel could........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)