TEHRAN – Normalization is not just about reopening embassies, resuming direct flights, a few handshakes, or a few diplomatic signatures.
Normalization may be the final step in the process of occupying the country. The occupation will be complete when Israel’s criminal record is erased from the world’s memory and the suffering of the Palestinian people is pushed to the margins.
When the suffering is forgotten, the occupation map will be completed. This is the true meaning of normalization. It is not a signature on a piece of paper, but an operation of the collective conscience of the people of this region.
Before Oct. 7, the region was heading in exactly that direction. The Abraham Accords began with the UAE and Bahrain, with Morocco and Sudan also joining the path. A package of economic and security cooperation aimed at making Israel an “everyday reality” for Arab countries.
The final piece of the puzzle, the relationship between Riyadh and Tel Aviv, was falling into place when events intervened.
The Al-Aqsa flood broke that line. The major project of “Forgetting Palestine” has collapsed. Palestine is back at the top of the world’s agenda.
Meanwhile, streets across the Western world became a stage for remembering the suffering of the Palestinians and the injustice of Israel. From London to Sydney, hundreds of consecutive demonstrations have gone from temporary, shallow protests to informed, sustained movements.
In London, New York and Paris, people carrying Palestinian flags and keffiyeh took to the streets, demonstrating that public opinion is no longer willing to view the suffering of the people of Gaza as “normal.”
As the streets begin to move, the wave of Palestinian statehood recognition after the Al Aqsa floods accelerates, starting with Spain, Ireland and Norway in 2024, with more countries joining in 2025.
This trend peaked in September when London, Ottawa and Canberra announced they had recognized a Palestinian state, an apparent move to put pressure on Tel Aviv and ease its own public pressure.
More than 150 countries now recognize Palestine as an official state. This means that normalization of Israel, even at the non-regional government level, is no longer a one-way street.
In parallel, in November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant. The decision raises the political cost of the once-free handshake photo and further exposes the false “peace” project.
On the ground, the complete disarmament of Gaza and Hamas, which Tel Aviv called a condition for peace, did not occur. Even analysts close to the regime write that no one can disarm Hamas.
The Gaza incident, together with the recent overt and documented crimes of Zionist forces in Lebanon, Syria, Iran, and Qatar, demonstrate that Israel can no longer exist as a “normal” element in the region. This reality becomes more apparent to countries in the region with each passing day. Imam Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, warned of this reality: “This is a cancerous tumor in the corner of the Islamic land, and al-Quds (Jerusalem) alone will not be satisfied.”
Source: Sedaye Iran, Online Newspaper of the Islamic Revolutionary Institute of Iran, October 17, 2025