Prof Kobi Michael: This is not political – it’s a security strategy. Israel needs security buffer zones in order, firstly, to distance the threat and, secondly, to clean the area to ensure it will not be used to launch terror attacks against Israeli communities. Unfortunately there are no political agreements, no diplomatic measures that can prevent such terror attacks.
Israel is aiming for a strong Middle East, but upheld by a different regional architecture in which Israel will be deeply embedded. 10 years from now, perhaps a lot sooner, Israel will have withdrawn from the buffer zones and Lebanon and Syria will be signatories to the Abraham Accords.
The full interview was published in The Telegraph on May 4, 2026.
*The opinions expressed in Misgav publications are the authors’ alone.
