The first meeting of the Strategic Political and Defense Committee, established under the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, began in Istanbul on Monday. It comes as Israel and Greece also signed a multi-billion-dollar defense deal.
The two events happening on the same day are a coincidence, because both have been in the works for some time.
However, it is symbolic of how the Middle East is being reshaped.
The October 7 attack was meant to change the region. Iran and Hamas plotted to carry out a massive war against Israel. Hamas launched the opening shot of the multi-front war.
The attack came after several years of relative peace in the region. After the defeat of ISIS, the region had been working toward stability and integration. The Abraham Accords were part of this process, bringing together Israel, the UAE, and Bahrain.
Hopes of Saudi Arabia joining Abraham Accords dashed as national alliances shift
This was expected to be part of a larger process that would include India, the US, and other countries. Greece-Israel-Cyprus relations were also growing stronger, along with other developments in the Eastern Mediterranean.
However, high hopes that Saudi Arabia might join the Abraham Accords have now shifted. Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Syria, and other countries are growing closer together.
Where relations between Ankara and Cairo were once more negative, things have now shifted. Israel, meanwhile, has not shown flexibility on the Palestinian issue, and Israel has taken a hostile attitude toward the new government in Syria.
The result is that Jerusalem now views the emerging Turkey-Saudi-Pakistan alliance as a potential threat.
Other processes the underway. Israel’s work with US Central Command has increased. US-Israel strikes on Iran have brought the US and Israel closer together. Iran’s attacks on the Gulf, particularly threats to US bases, have led the US to move a large number of refueling aircraft to Israel.
This has led to speculation that the US may move bases away from the Gulf. Israel could benefit by becoming a base for US forces.
This would knit together the Israel-CENTCOM relationship even more than in the past.
It is only in the last half-decade that Israel has officially become part of CENTCOM's area of operations. This is owed to an anomaly where Israel was seen as part of Europe, because many countries in the region didn’t have peace with Israel in the past.
Now, with peace with Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco, there are more reasons for Israel to be linked to regional security.
What happened in Turkey on Monday, August 31
Reports say that Ankara “is hosting the inaugural meeting of the committee, which was established to provide strategic direction for activities under the agreement and brings together the foreign ministers, defense ministers and chiefs of general staff of Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia,” according to Turkey’s Anadolu.
“The meeting began with the participation of Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, National Defense Minister Yasar Guler and Chief of General Staff Gen. Selcuk Bayraktaroglu; Pakistani Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Federal Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir; and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman and Chief of General Staff Gen. Fayyadh bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili,” the report said.
The goal is to work on “interoperability among the three countries’ armed forces, deepening defense industry cooperation, including joint production and research and development, and strengthening joint efforts to combat terrorism.”
The report notes that “the agreement stipulates that an attack against any one of the signatory states will be considered an attack against all parties. It also seeks to foster a new culture of regional cooperation and remains open to the participation of actors that respect international law and share a vision of peaceful cooperation.”
Meanwhile, in Israel, Israel’s Minister of Defense, Israel Katz, said, “My visit to Greece a few months ago, as the guest of Greek Defense Minister Dendias, was another expression of the depth of the strategic relationship between Israel and Greece and of our shared determination to keep strengthening it.”
His statement came as Israel and Greece signed the new defense deal.
Katz discussed his earlier meetings in Greece: “In that meeting, we agreed to deepen defense cooperation between our two countries. Israel and Greece share common strategic interests, and face shared regional challenges. At a time when actors with hegemonic ambitions are seeking to expand their influence and undermine stability in the region, Israel and Greece will continue to deepen their defense and strategic cooperation, and will act with determination to preserve stability and safeguard their security and shared interests.”
Israeli air defense systems key to Greek defenses
Greece’s Minister of National Defense Nikos Dendias also put out a statement on the Shield of Achilles defense concept that Greece is developing.
The Israeli air defense systems are key to this.
“The 'Achilles Shield’ is an important link in the reform of the Armed Forces and an imperative response to the geopolitical and technological challenges of our time. It is part of the ‘Agenda 2030’ reform, with which our Homeland is moving into a new reality. In a new concept of Defense and Deterrence,” Denias said.
He added that the Achilles Shield “marks the transition from a sum of weapons systems to a holistic deterrence system. Ships, aircraft, land assets, autonomous systems, new satellites, and more generally, every platform equipped with sensors, are integrated into a single network-centric architecture.”
This will enable 4th and 5th generation aircraft to play a “broader deterrent role,” he said. Satellites and communications will be key to this.
“Greece has acquired a fleet of microsatellites and is preparing for its first large geostationary satellite,” he said. Greece’s defense industry will also be strengthened. “The goal is clear: for Greece not to remain a passive buyer and user of defense systems. To actively participate in their design, production and development, strengthening domestic know-how,” he said.
In Tel Aviv, the head of the International Defense Cooperation Directorate (SIBAT) at the Israel Ministry of Defense (IMOD), Brig.-Gen. (res.) Yair Kulas added that “The 'Achilles Shield' deal is another milestone in the defense relationship between Israel and Greece. It reflects the deep trust our partners in Greece place in Israeli technology, the defense industry, and the government-to-government cooperation model led by the Israeli Ministry of Defense through SIBAT.”
Taken together, the story of the defense deal with Greece and the meeting in Istanbul are examples of how the region is changing.
While some may see these two events as symbolic of rivalry, they don’t have to be. The Saudi-Turkey-Pakistan alliance is built in the wake of the chaos of the Iran war. Iran has been attacking countries across the region, as it did with attacks on Jordan and the UAE overnight.
Countries need to work together toward stability. This is a lesson a decade after the war on ISIS and also after the fall of the Assad regime. The region needs stability and integration. The Israel-Greece deal bolsters key countries in the Eastern Mediterranean.
As such, it also adds to stability. This is part of the broader trend reshaping the region in the wake of decades of war and chaos that began with the Gulf War in 1991.
These are signposts of the new world order that has emerged decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union, as the world once again becomes more multipolar and regional or middle powers step up their cooperation.