The mass rallies and protests held by Iranians this week greatly affects the rest of the Middle East, in particular Israel and the Palestinians as they potentially prepare to resume peace negotiations.
On a broad spectrum, the Iranian protests could inspire mass demonstrations across the Arab world, in particular within the Palestinian territories. The original Iranian revolution in 1979 sparked fear in some Arab regimes that Khomeini’s dogma could spread to the Shiite communities in their countries. For example, Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein felt the need to appease the Shiite community in Iraq throughout the Iraq-Iran war in order to ensure their continued allegiance. He attended Shiite holy sites while also encouraging the population in Iraq to understand their collective pre-Islamic history to diminish the impact of Khomeini’s rhetoric directed at the Shiite community.
The phenomenon feared by Saddam could take root in today’s Middle East and inspire anti-tyrannical protests and revolutions. If the Iranian people succeed in obtaining freedom from the clearly oppressive regime, the residents of the Gaza Strip may notice the similarities to their treatment by Hamas, which also uses murders and imprisonment to quell dissenting opinions.
The images emerging from Tehran represent the population’s insistence on obtaining universal human rights restricted by the regime. The extremist policies of Hamas mirror the same intrusion protested by the Iranian people. As Hamas continues its coup, the residents of the Gaza Strip remain largely unemployed, devoid of a proper infrastructure, and malnourished. Perhaps the people of Gaza will receive inspiration from these protests and embark on their own efforts to topple their oppressive regime.
Similarly, Yossi Alpher describes the impact of these protests on Hamas in particular due to the weakening of key Hamas ally. Seeing that Hamas obtains support, particularly munitions, from Iran, the unrest in the streets could hinder deliveries to the Gaza Strip and force the Iranian regime to refocus its efforts onto internal stability as opposed to destabilizing the peace process.
Moreover, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu repeatedly prioritizes the Iranian nuclear program above peace negotiations with the Palestinians. He even previously attempted to obtain concessions from the White House for a more aggressive posture on Tehran in order to deflect criticism that his administration may not fully support a two-state solution. The instability in Iran, with the international community hesitant to intervene in order to permit the Iranian people an opportunity to solve their internal crisis, could force a refocus onto the peace process. While the international community awaits the outcome of protests, Netanyahu could receive additional pressure to engage the Palestinians.