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The outgoing year 2022 for the Middle East turned out to be rich in important events: after 20 years of American presence in Afghanistan, the Taliban1 movement (banned in the Russian Federation) managed to regain power, Israel and Palestine survived a large-scale military conflict, the Jordanian king was able to prevent his overthrow , and the leader of Turkey dealt a crushing blow to the well-being of his compatriots.
The international editorial office of the Federal News Agency talks about the most significant events for the region this year.
Afghanistan
At the beginning of 2022, Afghans had no idea what the change of administration in the United States would mean for them. The new head of the White House, Joe Biden, continued the initiative of his predecessor Donald Trump - he announced the end of the 20-year military operation in the South Asian country and the imminent sending of American soldiers home.
Global Look Press /
By April, Biden had decided on the exact date for the withdrawal of troops, which was supported by other NATO members: they agreed to leave Afghanistan by September 11, the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks in the United States, which became the reason for the Alliance operation.
At first, there was talk about future support for the government of Ashraf Ghani , the provision of financial and military-technical assistance, and the preservation of a contingent of advisers on defense issues. However, the Taliban advocated the complete withdrawal of foreigners, as required by the earlier agreements in Doha.
Global Look Press / Saifurahman Safi Source / XinHua
As the withdrawal of NATO troops, which became more and more hasty, the Taliban began an offensive and rapid seizure of military installations, populated areas, and then entire regions. This provoked great unrest among ordinary citizens of the country, so that thousands of Afghans began to flee their homes en masse as the militants advanced.
At the same time, a large amount of weapons remained at NATO military facilities and at the disposal of government forces, which gradually passed into the hands of Taliban members and were subsequently used by them.
In early August, the Taliban were able to take control of the border areas, and then moved on to large populated areas, capturing several cities a day. There was no longer any talk of joint governance of the country with representatives of the previous government of Afghanistan. Towards the end of the summer, the Taliban moved to Kabul, where a decision was made to peacefully transfer power to the movement, which actually happened on August 15. Ashraf Ghani, who resigned as head of state, fled the country.
But not everyone gave up. Vice President of Afghanistan Amrullah Saleh , relying on the constitution, declared himself and. O. head of state. Together with Ahmad Massoud (son of the famous warlord Ahmad Shah Massoud ), they began to gather supporters in the Panjshir region and organized an uprising against the Taliban. The rebels called themselves the “National Resistance Front” (NRF), but did not rule out dialogue with their opponents.
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All this happened against the background of the emergency evacuation of foreign troops who had not yet managed to finally leave Afghanistan. Many ordinary citizens who had previously helped the Western military and feared persecution also tried to escape with them. Thousands of people gathered at Kabul airport, trying to board departing planes at any cost.
During this period, the first terrorist attack under the new Taliban government occurred: a suicide bomber from the Vilayat Khorasan group (banned in the Russian Federation) - a regional branch of the Islamic State1 (IS1, banned in the Russian Federation) - was blown up at the entrance to the air harbor. After this, another explosive device detonated nearby. The attack resulted in the death of more than 200 people, including 13 American troops, and the injury of several thousand Afghans.
A few days later, the United States decided to conduct a retaliatory special operation and eliminate IS members suspected of preparing attacks near the airport. The strike in Kabul caused the death of ten innocent people: seven children and three adults, one of whom was an employee of an American charity organization.
Federal News Agency / 1. Photographer: © Xinhua Source: XinHua 2. Photographer: © Shawn Thew - Pool Via Cnp Source: Keystone Press Agency 3. Photographer: © Rahmatullah Alizadah Source: XinHua
Later, Washington admitted the mistake and apologized for the attack, but that was all: the families of the victims have still not been paid the promised compensation.
On the night of August 31, the United States officially announced the completion of the withdrawal of its troops, after which the Taliban declared the country’s independence and the creation of the “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.”
Nevertheless, the Afghan resistance still continued to fight, but in September the Taliban moved troops to the Panjshir Gorge, where, although with human losses, they defeated the militia. However, the capture of the rebellious region does not mean that the resistance is over: opposition leader Ahmad Massoud managed to escape and appealed to his fellow citizens not to surrender. Since then, clashes between the Taliban and the Federal Tax Service have been repeatedly recorded in different parts of the country.
Federal News Agency / Global Look Press / Keystone Press Agency / Hussain Ali
In the fall, Afghanistan acquired a new government. Despite the fact that the Taliban promised to create an inclusive cabinet of ministers representing the interests of all sectors of society, key positions were occupied by members of the radical movement. At the same time, the Taliban leaders left themselves some room for maneuver: they stated that these appointments were necessary only for the duration of the transition period, in order to overcome the crisis that had arisen.
It is worth paying attention to the change in the rhetoric of the Taliban, which in the previous period of rule was marked by cruelty, authoritarianism, arbitrariness and oppression of ordinary citizens. As the state was captured, the leaders of the radical movement assured the world community of their peaceful intentions and renunciation of aggression towards other countries.
However, it cannot be said that Afghanistan has now become much safer. During their offensive, the Taliban actively released prisoners from prisons in captured territories, and sometimes departing US forces did the same. As a result, a large number of radical Islamists were released.
Then a wave of terrorist attacks swept across the country in different cities and regions. At the same time, Taliban members themselves often become the target of attacks.
The new government has launched a hunt for Wilayat Khorasan and announced its plans to put an end to the terrorists. However, even though there are emerging claims of successful anti-terrorist operations, the number of reported attacks is still much higher.
Since the Taliban came to power, they have been methodically remaking the life of the country to suit themselves: abolishing institutions and ministries that are unnecessary to them, introducing new laws, standards of behavior in public places and prohibitions. The country has reintroduced the death penalty and corporal punishment, practices gender segregation, limited the ability of women to engage in active sports, closed many media outlets, etc.
They are still far from international recognition, which affects the life of the state: Afghanistan is experiencing a large-scale humanitarian crisis, and Kabul's foreign assets are frozen due to the fact that the radical government is not recognized as legitimate.
Certain countries are demonstrating an interest in strengthening cooperation with Kabul: Pakistan, Iran, Qatar, Turkey, China and other states - without recognizing the power of the Taliban at the official level, they talk about the need to support the country and demonstrate a commitment to implementing mutually beneficial projects there.
However, as of the end of 2022, all these are just intentions, the implementation of which has not yet come to fruition.
Another attempt to approve a peace treaty
Subsequent events showed the severity and depth of the Middle East conflict. In historical science, there are two more major Arab-Israeli wars: 1967 and 1973. Israel won both armed confrontations. In 1967, as a result of hostilities, he took control of a number of territories from Egypt, Syria and Jordan.
After 1973, there were no wars between Israel and other Arab states. In 1979, Egypt, under President Sadat, made peace and restored diplomatic relations with the Israeli state, resulting in the return of some of the territories lost in the 1967 war. Subsequently, in attempts to resolve the conflict on the part of the Arabs, the main role began to be played by the Palestine Liberation Organization, established in 1964, territorially located in the lands of Syria and Lebanon. The Arab population of these lands and refugees from them now received their own representative body. The organization sought to gain international recognition. After 1974, she became an observer at the UN.
In 1993, as a result of negotiations in Oslo, agreements were signed between representatives of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization, according to which they recognized each other and some areas of Palestine were transferred to the control of this Arab body. In historical science, these agreements are considered a serious breakthrough, although they did not resolve the conflict. Both Jews and Arabs consider Palestine their land. Armed clashes arise periodically between the Arab Palestinian Authority and Israel for various reasons.
Israel and Palestine
Israel began the year by developing diplomatic contacts with other states. In January, Sudan joined the Abrahamic Treaty, which regulates the normalization of relations between Muslim countries and the Jewish state.
In the wake of this peace initiative, the first Israeli embassy opened in the United Arab Emirates, and later, about six months later, a mission of the Jewish state opened in the UAE.
However, already in the spring the region experienced a serious escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Since the beginning of the year, bilateral relations have been complicated by traditional clashes, Arab protests, and appeals to international courts. However, in May, Jewish authorities decided to evict several Palestinian families from their homes in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem, sparking violent protests.
To suppress them, Israeli law enforcement officers used force and it got to the point that clashes affected the Temple Mount and the territory of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
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These events gave rise to armed confrontation. Under the pretext of protecting the interests of compatriots, the forces of the Islamist movement Hamas ruling in the Gaza Strip and other local groups began to launch rocket attacks on the territory of the Jewish state. This provoked a response from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
On May 11, Tel Aviv initiated the start of a full-fledged military operation “Guardian of the Wall”, designed to neutralize the fighters of the Palestinian group.
The Israelis mostly used artillery and aircraft. Their main targets were buildings containing facilities important to Hamas. However, this tactic was complicated by the fact that the Palestinian movement often set up its offices in large buildings and residential buildings, so that civilians or their homes could inevitably become collateral damage in the event of destruction.
Despite the fact that the Jewish army has Iron Dome air defense systems, due to the large number of missiles fired towards Israel, not all of them were intercepted.
Subsequently, this regional conflict began to be called the 11-day war - that’s how long the fighting lasted. Tel Aviv came to the conclusion that the objectives of the operation had been achieved and ceased fire unilaterally. The forces located in the Gaza Strip agreed to a truce. Since this decision was not accompanied by any diplomatic work, Hamas considered the ceasefire to be their merit and declared victory over the Israelis.
The result of the conflict was destruction and casualties on both sides of the resistance: in 11 days of war in the Gaza Strip, 248 people were killed, including 66 children, 39 women and 17 elderly people. More than 1,900 Palestinians were injured.
During this period, Hamas launched 4,360 rockets towards Israel. Due to the fact that air defense systems nevertheless missed some enemy shells, 12 Israelis died and 350 were forced to seek medical help.
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Immediately after this turbulent period, the Israelis experienced another war - a political one.
After another failed attempt to form a workable government and agree on a budget, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was stripped of this privilege by the country's President Reuven Rivlin . He came to this decision shortly before his resignation - on June 2 he was replaced by Isaac Herzog .
The task of creating the next cabinet was entrusted to the head of the centrist opposition, Yair Lapid , who formed a coalition with the ultranationalist Naftali Bennett . At the beginning of June, they were able to assemble a new bloc of eight heterogeneous political parties: from the left to the far right. It is also noteworthy that the Arab political association “RAAM” was included there.
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Due to such factional diversity, differences in ideology and disagreements on key issues, this alliance raised many doubts among experts. However, the new government received a vote of confidence from the Knesset. In accordance with the coalition agreement, Bannet took the post of prime minister, and Lapid took over as head of the Foreign Ministry. In two years they must change.
Despite the active resistance of Netanyahu, who had gone into opposition, the new government, which agreed among itself on neutrality on the most pressing issues, demonstrated a certain effectiveness: in early August, for the first time in three years, the Israeli Cabinet was finally able to approve the draft state budget. If they had not done this, the new government would have been dissolved.
At the same time, stripping the former prime minister of the immunity that came with his high office allowed a series of corruption trials to proceed. Benjamin Netanyahu is suspected of accepting bribes and abusing his position in three cases at once. Against this background, colleagues in the Likud party even started talking about the need to expel him from their ranks.
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Meanwhile, the Arab community in the region was waging its own internal political struggle. Palestinian National Authority (PNA) President Mahmoud Abbas has begun to lose popular support due to his soft stance towards Israeli actions, another postponement of internal elections and the suppression of dissent in the West Bank.
According to opinion polls, he is increasingly losing ground to the Hamas movement.
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Against the backdrop of these events, on the eve of the next UN summit, Abbas made new demands for an end to settlement policy and the withdrawal of Jews from the Gaza Strip, East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
He gave Tel Aviv a year to comply with his ultimatum and threatened to appeal to the International Court of Justice in The Hague if it refused. The deadline for his claim is mid-September 2022.
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Now the situation in the region is returning to its permanent state: Palestinians organize regular anti-Israeli rallies, and the police and IDF forces confront them, often using military weapons. This causes numerous violations that worry human rights activists.
However, now the Israeli authorities have again raised the issue of eviction of Arabs from the Jerusalem area of Sheikh Jarrah, which cannot but worry, looking back at the May events.
Palestinian protests in East Jerusalem
Palestinians were protesting the forced eviction of their families from several homes in the region.
The Israeli government cited a 1970 law to argue that the land was owned by Jewish families before 1948, and therefore the current Palestinians should be evicted and their property transferred to Israeli Jews.
But in fact, the situation worsened sharply back in April with the onset of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Arabs have traditionally begun to flock to the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem, where Muslims always celebrate Ramadan in grand style.
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The Israeli police, under the pretext of ensuring security, banned the gathering of people in the Old City and this, as expected, caused a wave of indignation among Muslim youth.
It is worth noting here that Jerusalem has been disputed territory between Israeli Jews and Palestinians for many decades. Both sides consider this territory their capital.
Jordan
For the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, 2021 was primarily the year of the 100th anniversary of the state.
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The past 12 months have been relatively calm and have been spent under the slogan of combating the economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic. The damage to the budget of the already poor state was very significant, which resulted in a certain public irritation.
Perhaps that is why one of the most significant events of the year was the arrest of rebels preparing a coup in the country. The power of King Abdullah II was under threat because of the conspirators, among whom was the monarch's half-brother Hamza bin Hussein , who had previously been deprived of the status of crown prince. He was part of a group with high-ranking officials, officers and local tribal leaders who planned to stage a violent change of power, intelligence said.
As part of a special operation in early April, several dozen people were detained, and only Prince Hamza in this case was placed under house arrest. After a public apology, an oath of allegiance to his brother and statements of innocence in the conspiracy, official sources said that he would not be prosecuted and the conflict would be resolved within the family. However, it recently became known that the guilty young man still does not have the opportunity to leave the royal residence.
At the same time, another high-ranking person involved in the plot of preparing a coup was the former head of the Royal Court of Jordan and the country’s Minister of Finance Bassem Awadallah .
This figure has dual Saudi-Jordanian citizenship and at the time of his arrest was in Amman as a representative of the interests of Riyadh - he was a moderator of an investment forum taking place in the city.
His arrest caused a diplomatic scandal, as a result of which Saudi Arabia was accused of inciting the overthrow of Abdullah II and participating in the organization of the coup.
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By the end of the year, Amman was preparing for another significant event for the state - amendments to the constitution. However, this initiative of the authorities raised a lot of questions among ordinary citizens, who were wary of the content of innovations in the main document of the country. The draft contained 30 points, among which there are those that significantly expand the powers of King Abdullah II.
At the same time, Jordanians have a request for the development of democratic institutions instead of monarchical ones, which is already becoming the cause of protests. The amendment plan is currently being approved by legislators.
Iraq
In Iraq, the year also began with a discussion of the withdrawal of American troops from the country, a series of protests by citizens dissatisfied with the policies of the authorities, as well as with the armed operation “Eagle Claw-2” carried out by the Turkish military against local Kurdish groups in the north of the state.
Against this background, Pope Francis himself visited the state, becoming the first pontiff to come to the Middle Eastern country.
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The presence of foreign forces in the country was widely discussed throughout the year. Against this background, both supporters and ardent opponents of this have emerged in Iraq. One of them is the Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr .
In his speeches, he expressed ideas that were important for citizens tired of many years of foreign interference in the life of their state: he demanded that Western players keep their distance, name the exact dates of their departure, and transfer military facilities to the Iraqis as soon as possible. It should be noted that when speaking about the need to reduce foreign influence in Iraq, he also means Iran.
At the same time, as the American military mission in Iraq was winding down, the “sleeper cells” of the “Islamic State” became more and more active, mostly attacking Kurdish areas. This fact further devalued the long-term presence of NATO troops in the country, and at the same time strengthened the position of Muqtada al-Sadr . All this affected the results of the October parliamentary elections, in which his Al-Sairoon party won the largest number of seats.
The results of this plebiscite were not to the taste of the pro-Iranian Shiite parties, whose representation in the legislative body was significantly reduced. They initiated mass protests and tried to annul the voting results in court, threatening the authorities with unrest.
However, at the end of December, the Iraqi Supreme Court rejected the appeal and declared its decision final. Now the election results will be officially approved and parliament will finally be able to begin work. This opens the way for the election of a new president, prime minister and the formation of the next cabinet. The Iraqi government is being restructured, and only 2022 will show what this will lead to.
Federal News Agency / Ameer Al Mohammedaw / dpa / Global Look Press; Oliver Weiken / dpa / Global Look Press
Iran
In January 2022, representatives of the Islamic Republic notified the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that it had begun production of highly enriched uranium.
This was Tehran's response to the recent assassination of nuclear physicist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh , which was allegedly orchestrated by Israel. Since the “nuclear deal” - the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) - has effectively ceased to operate due to the US withdrawal from it, the Iranians have shown determination to increase the level of uranium enrichment from 4% to 20%. By the end of spring, the figure had already increased to 60%.
In May, indirect negotiations with the United States on returning to the JCPOA officially began in Vienna - Biden expressed his intentions to revive the “nuclear deal.” However, everything turned out to be not so simple - the diplomatic process dragged on significantly and was carried out intermittently.
Both sides are waiting for each other to take the first step: Iran is insisting that the US and European countries lift sanctions, in response to which it will reduce the level of uranium enrichment. Western players demand the reverse sequence.
By the summer, negotiations had to take a break due to the presidential elections in Iran. As a result of the vote, the moderate government of Hassan Rouhani resigned, and Ebrahim Raisi , a conservative and hardliner in dealing with the West, became the new national leader.
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The Vienna process is still ongoing. The parties show no intention of making concessions and often accuse each other of trying to sabotage the peace initiative. At the same time, the Iranians want Western countries to provide them with guarantees that the deal will not be canceled again in the future if the JCPOA is returned. However, US law does not allow the conclusion of such agreements.
On December 28, 2022, the eighth round of discussions started in Vienna. It may be the last, since even the Europeans understand that further delay in negotiations is undesirable, since the development of the Iranian nuclear program is moving too quickly.
Zionism and the Balfour Declaration
Widespread colonization of Palestinian lands by Jews began. This was accompanied by the propaganda of the national Jewish ideology - Zionism, which provided for the return of the Jewish people to their homeland - Israel. Evidence of this process is the so-called Balfour Declaration. It is a letter to the leader of the Zionist movement from the British Minister A. Balfour, which was written back in 1917. The Letter justifies the territorial claims of the Jews to Palestine. The declaration had a significant public response; in fact, it started the conflict.
Yemen
The war in the region has been going on for seven years, and the parties have not yet demonstrated any intention to end it. The situation has been particularly acute throughout the year in the Marib region, where a large number of mineral deposits and important infrastructure facilities are located.
Mansour Hadi's government , supported by the Riyadh-led Arab coalition, are confronting the Houthis from the Shiite Ansar Allah movement, who are trying to recapture a strategically important province, control of which guarantees the most advantageous positions in future negotiations.
The Houthis launched military operations in Marib twice in a year. The first began in February and ended in mid-April, when the front line was determined. This stage was not accompanied by significant successes for the rebels.
The second attempt to take Marib was made at the end of the summer, and it is actually still ongoing. This operation can be called much more successful - the Ansar Allah movement now controls a significant part of the region. Fierce fighting there is still ongoing, so what all this will lead to is not yet clear.
The population of the republic, meanwhile, is still suffering from a humanitarian crisis recognized by the UN as one of the worst in history.
Acute phase of the conflict of 1948-1949
What has been the history of conflict in countries like Israel and Palestine? How did the conflict begin? Let's try to give a detailed answer to this question. The declaration of Israeli independence was a very resonant and controversial international event. A lot of Arab-Muslim countries did not recognize the state of Israel and declared “jihad” (holy war against infidels) on it. The Arab League that fought against Israel included Jordan, Lebanon, Yemen, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Thus, active hostilities began, with Israel and Palestine at the center. The history of the conflict of peoples forced about 300 thousand Palestinian Arabs to leave their native lands even before the start of the tragic military events.
The army of the Arab League was well organized and numbered about 40 thousand soldiers, while Israel had only 30 thousand. The king of Jordan was appointed commander-in-chief of the Arab League troops. It should be noted that the UN called on the parties to peace and even developed a peace plan, but both sides rejected it.
At first, during the fighting in Palestine, the advantage belonged to the Arab League of countries, but in the summer of 1948 the situation changed dramatically. Jewish troops went on the offensive and within ten days repelled the onslaught of the Arabs. And already in 1949, Israel, with a decisive blow, pushed the enemy to the borders of Palestine, thus capturing its entire territory.
Lebanon
The Lebanese Republic entered the year in a state of crisis, which has worsened over the past 12 months. The country was already experiencing difficulties, but they were worsened by the explosion at the port of Beirut in 2020 and lockdowns imposed due to the pandemic.
Financial difficulties have led to the fact that the country does not have the funds necessary to purchase fuel to ensure the operation of the state's power plants. For this reason, the authorities are practicing rolling blackouts, and citizens have become even more dependent on private power generators. This, in turn, provoked a fuel crisis that arose due to an increase in demand for fuel for them. This state of affairs has a negative impact on the functioning of key government institutions, including schools and hospitals.
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All this raised a lot of questions for the authorities, who did not demonstrate success in their work. However, this problem was not new: President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Saad Hariri could not agree on the composition of the new government for a year - the previous one resigned just after the explosion in the Beirut port.
The inability of politicians to agree led to new reshuffles. In July, Hariri resigned, and his place went to Najib Mikati , who nevertheless managed to form a new cabinet.
The choice of the latter's composition, however, resulted in unexpected shocks for the country. In October, the media published an interview with Information Minister George Cordahi, made shortly before he took office. In it, he commented on the situation in Yemen and stated that the Houthi rebels there are defending themselves from external aggression by the Arab coalition.
Members of this military bloc responded to this material by expelling Lebanese ambassadors. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait began to put pressure on Beirut, which resulted in the resignation of the disgraced politician. Riyadh then restricted all imports from Lebanon into its territory, which further aggravated the situation in the crisis-ridden state.
Global Look Press/Bilal Jawich/XinHua
In parallel with all these events, an important investigation into explosions in the capital’s port continued in the country. The new judge, Tarek Bitar, showed himself to be an uncompromising fighter for justice and accused a number of high-ranking politicians and officials of involvement in the tragedy. Supporters of Hezbollah, an important military-political organization in Lebanon, also suffered from him.
Its members, together with government officials who were targeted by the prosecutor, initiated a campaign to remove the judge from his post - Batard was accused of bias and politicization. As part of one of the protests, the country experienced a new tragedy - fire was opened on the protesters. Subsequently, the victims accused the Christian party Lebanese Forces and its leader Samir Jaajaa , but the investigation has not yet been completed.
By the end of the year, the crisis in Lebanon did not recede, but only intensified. Nevertheless, the government is optimistic about the future and is seeking to revive state institutions: the country's leadership has agreed to hold parliamentary elections next May.
Persian Gulf
For the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), 2022 was driven by joint work to expand regional ties and the launch of new economic and environmental initiatives designed to implement national development programs.
United Arab Emirates
Abu Dhabi was focused on increasing the country's attractiveness for foreign specialists and adapting office processes to international standards.
Thus, the authorities ensured accelerated acquisition of citizenship for potential investors and highly qualified specialists: engineers, artists, doctors, writers, as well as members of their families. At the same time, other migrant workers, who for some reason lost their jobs, now have the opportunity to engage in freelancing.
At the same time, the state continued to invest in various projects in other countries, which in the future should have a positive impact on its financial capabilities.
Federal News Agency / Global Look Press / Fabio Ferrari
Also, the World Expo 2022 began in Dubai, postponed by a year due to the pandemic. This helped the country to establish new business contacts with guests of a large-scale world-class event.
Saudi Arabia
Riyadh sought not to yield to its neighbor and took steps to help the country in the fight with the UAE for the right to bear the title of the main business and economic center of the region.
Under the leadership of Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman, Saudi Arabia continued to work on diversifying the economy and reducing dependence on oil, which fits into the Vision 2030 program. However, at the end of the year, it turned out that the number of launched projects still does not keep up with the ambitions of the state - intended for development economic initiatives, the budget was not fully exhausted.
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However, the problem of human rights violations in the Gulf state remains relevant. Despite various innovations to expand women's rights and protect the interests of migrant workers, Riyadh still remains a target of criticism from human rights activists.
Bahrain
Manama has not experienced any major challenges and has been developing ties with Israel, with which it has normalized relations, while also dealing with the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, which has affected a labor market consisting mainly of foreign workers.
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Oman
Muscat tried to cope with rising unemployment and economic problems, including by developing relations with neighbors in the region.
The country is experiencing an increase in popular discontent, provoked by a deterioration in living standards. In this situation, illegal migrant workers have become a problem - they occupy jobs that could potentially go to Omanis, and are also carriers of coronavirus due to unfavorable living conditions.
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Qatar
The main event of the year for the state was reconciliation with the GCC countries, which removed Doha from the list of sponsors of terrorism, where it had been since 2022. The consequence of this was the lifting of the blockade and the restoration of business ties, which is very important against the backdrop of the country’s preparations for the upcoming World Cup.
In the run-up to the World Cup, Qatar embarked on exemplary reforms to smooth out scandals caused by reports of exploitation of workers building sports facilities.
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At the same time, Doha showed participation in the fate of Afghanistan: it hosted diplomats from Kabul and the Taliban on its territory, and now, after the change of power in the South Asian country, it is developing ties with the new leadership.
Kuwait
Kuwait continued its years-long saga with successive governments. At the very end of 2022, Emir Nawaf Al Ahmed al-Sabah approved the third cabinet in 12 months.
The existing paralysis of power, resulting from the constant change of ministers as a result of conflicts with parliament, aggravates the financial and social problems of the state.
Syria
The authorities of the Syrian Arab Republic (SAR) continue methodical work to restore the state after the war. Against this background, official Damascus holds numerous negotiations, exhibitions, fairs and other events aimed at developing international relations and improving the economic indicators of the state.
At the end of May, presidential elections were held in the country, the main contenders for the highest government post were the current President Bashar al-Assad , opposition lawyer Mahmoud Mari and ex-Minister of People's Council (Parliament) Affairs Abdullah Sallum Abdullah .
The turnout for the plebiscite was 78%. As a result, 13 million people - 95% of voters - again preferred Assad. The entire election process took place in a friendly atmosphere, which developed into massive popular celebrations.
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However, the echoes of the protracted war still affect the life of the SAR. At the end of July and beginning of August, in the province of Daraa there was an escalation of the conflict with local bandit groups. They reacted negatively to the actions of the authorities, who arrested several of their accomplices involved in robbery, kidnapping and murder. The militants captured the Daraa al-Balad area, which provoked a response from the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), which surrounded this part of the region.
As a result, the Russian Center for Reconciliation of Warring Parties (CPVS) intervened in the situation. Its employees acted as mediators, thanks to whose efforts it was possible to prevent unnecessary bloodshed and conclude a truce.
The most irreconcilable militants were asked to leave government-controlled land. Those who want to return to peaceful life were promised a pardon: deserters and members of radical groups with no serious crimes behind them, in exchange for surrendering their weapons and renouncing aggression, were given the opportunity to once again become full members of society.
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To implement the plan, special status settlement points were created throughout Daraa, open to everyone. All this made it possible to return peace to this province and begin its restoration.
The return of security to the border areas made it possible to improve relations with neighboring countries. For example, communications with Jordan were restored, which facilitated the possibility of the return of refugees and resulted in new mutually beneficial agreements. At the same time, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, the UAE and other Middle Eastern countries also demonstrated interest in developing relations with the Syrian Arab Republic.
Syria is gradually regaining its status as an important regional player and overcoming its isolation despite ongoing sanctions from Western countries.
wikimedia.org / Press service of the President of Russia
Terms of the UN resolution to resolve the conflict
According to the UN resolution of November 29, 1947, the territory of Palestine was divided into two independent states - Arab (area 11 thousand sq. km) and Jewish (area 14 thousand sq. km). Separately, as planned, an international zone was created on the territory of the city of Jerusalem. By the beginning of August 1948, the British colonists, according to the plan, were supposed to leave Palestine.
But as soon as the Jewish state was proclaimed, and Ben-Gurion became prime minister, radical Zionists, who did not recognize the independence of the Arab part of the Palestinian lands, began hostilities in May 1948.
Türkiye
Throughout the year, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan continued to promote the ideas of neo-Ottomanism, increased his influence on foreign governments and oversaw the actions of pro-Turkish forces on the territory of other states. Ankara's anti-Kurdish activities this year have become even more aggressive, as has its foreign policy in general.
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In 2022, Erdogan made direct intervention in the financial policy of the state, for which he replaced several ministers and heads of the Central Bank. By order of the president, the Central Bank interest rate was lowered, which led to a sharp collapse of the national currency to record lows.
The population's dissatisfaction with the head of state is growing - even reaching calls for early elections. This gives certain preferences to the opposition, which is asserting itself more and more confidently. The current president is increasingly losing his position to his opponents, so we can expect new decisive moves from him designed to preserve his power.
Global Look Press / Abdurrahman Antakyali / Keystone Press Agency - Xinhua / Xinhua
Deepening of the conflict in the 20-40s of the XX century
In the 20s of the last century, the Zionists began to strengthen their positions, the Haganah military association arose, and in 1935 a new, even more extremist organization called the Irgun Zvai Leumi appeared. But the Jews had not yet decided to take radical action; the oppression of the Palestinian Arabs was still carried out peacefully.
After the Nazis came to power and the outbreak of World War II, the number of Jews in Palestine began to increase sharply due to their emigration from Europe. In 1938, about 420 thousand Jews lived in the Palestinian lands, which is twice as many as in 1932. The Jews saw the final goal of their resettlement as the complete conquest of Palestine and the creation of a Jewish state. This is evidenced by the fact that after the end of the war, in 1947, the number of Jews in Palestine increased by another 200 thousand, and already reached 620 thousand people.
The year is completed
If we assess the situation in the region as a whole, we can see that Middle Eastern countries are changing the way they interact with each other. Although a number of conflicts still persist, the trend towards peaceful coexistence is clear.
A pragmatic approach to problem solving is beginning to outweigh old grievances: religious and political differences pale in comparison to the prospects for business cooperation. And this attitude can completely change the life of the region as early as 2022.
1 The organization is prohibited on the territory of the Russian Federation.
Background to the long-term confrontation
Throughout centuries of history, Jews and Arabs coexisted peacefully in Palestine, which was part of the Syrian state during the Ottoman Empire. The indigenous people in the region were Arabs, but at the beginning of the 20th century the Jewish part of the population began to slowly but steadily increase. The situation changed radically after the end of the First World War (1918), when Great Britain received a mandate to administer the territory of Palestine and was able to pursue its policies in these lands.
