Mick Hartley

Avi Avidan on The Dawn of Minority Liberation: Israel’s Role in Shattering Sykes-Picot.

The artificial borders of the Middle East, drawn a century ago by British and French diplomats in the secretive Sykes-Picot Agreement, have long suppressed the region’s diverse peoples Kurds, Druze, Maronites, Alawites, Baloch, and others trapping them in states dominated by Arab majoritarian rule. These lines ignored ethnic, religious, and cultural realities, breeding endless conflict and oppression.

Today, those borders are cracking. In Syria’s Suweida province, the Druze minority has risen in defiance, demanding self-determination amid clashes and calls for protection some even waving Israeli flags as a symbol of hope.

Across the Horn of Africa, Somaliland’s long quest for independence achieved a historic breakthrough when Israel became the first nation to grant full recognition on December 26, 2025, forging diplomatic ties in the spirit of regional realignment.

Israel stands alone as the power capable and willing to redraw the map.

Unlike distant empires or hesitant superpowers, Israel acts decisively to secure its borders and support allied minorities. From buffer zones in Syria and Lebanon to strategic partnerships, it enforces a new order where threatened communities Maronites in Lebanon, Kurds across borders, Alawites, Baloch separatists, and even the remnant Christians of North Cyprus can aspire to autonomy or alliance.

This is the era of minorities seizing their freedom. With Israel’s unwavering backing, the oppressive legacy of Sykes-Picot crumbles. The future belongs not to imposed unity, but to self-determined peoples allied with strength. The cracks in Suweida and Somaliland are just the beginning the old order dissolves, and a bolder, freer Middle East emerges.