Violence is currently escalating on several fronts in the Middle East. The scope of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which involves a multitude of actors from the local to the global, requires contextualization. To mark the first anniversary of the attack on October 7, 2023, the new issue of the journal “Wissenschaft und Frieden” (Science and Peace) attempts to provide a regional context. Beyond the borders of Israel-Palestine, the authors look at the main causes, drivers of conflict and effects of the war.
Three PRIF Researchers, Regine Schwab, Mustafa Karahamad and Hanna Pfeifer, take a look at different actors in the region. In her contribution, Hanna Pfeifer outlines the role of the so-called “axis of resistance”, consisting of Hamas, Iran, Hezbollah and the Yemeni Houthi, among others. Based on her core thesis of a failed balance between Hamas solidarity and the avoidance of escalation, she illustrates how strongly the conflicts in the Middle East are intertwined.
In their article, Mustafa Karahamad and Regine Schwab analyze how the Syrian regime is using the war against Gaza for domestic stabilization and regional rehabilitation. They point out that the Assad regime’s response to the war has so far differed significantly from that of the other members of the axis - even though his country continues to be the site of an indirect war between Israel and Iran.
In other articles in the issue, Bertolini et al. trace the militarization of individual states in the region, while Astrid Juckenack examines the consequences for the international community of comparing Hamas and the Islamic State. Riad Othman and Alexander Schwarz, as well as Kai Ambos, discuss legal issues related to the Israeli legal system and the peace-building potential of international law. Nada Majdalani and Jürgen Scheffran, as well as Wilfried Graf and Werner Wintersteiner, show how climate protection can contribute to peacebuilding, and what a possible path action might look like.
An additional focus on current escalation dynamics is dedicated to the security policy consequences of the announced stationing of US medium-range weapons in Germany.
More information on the magazine can be found on the magazine’s website.