Thealliance of the periphery[a] refers to a foreign-policy strategy developed by Israeli prime ministerDavid Ben-Gurion. In 1999,Meir Amit, the head ofMossad, described it as an "alliance with all the actors in the Middle East who are notMuslim Arabs".[1]
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The term "periphery" was used due to the fact that non-Arabs and non-Muslims largely geographically encircled the Arab Muslim population in the Middle East.[2] The alliance originally included Israel,Turkey, theImperial State of Iran, and theEthiopian Empire.[3] It was also applied regarding theDruze,Copts,Kurds,Baloch,Berbers,Middle Eastern Christians, and theSouth Sudanese.[4][5][6] According toBaruch Uziel, the alliance would overwhelm the Arabs and end theirimperialism, bringing peace to non-Arab and non-Muslim communities, and ultimately to the whole region. Uziel acknowledged the challenges to such an alliance, such asIslamism and theconflict between Kurds and Turks, and claimed that "no new and bold idea has ever forged its way in a direct line and without curves."[7]
While Israeli foreign policy generally pursued Israeli interests, "the sole exceptions were some of the links with minorities, where Israel's support reflected a genuine degree of both sympathy for and empathy with those suffering at Arab hands."[5] Israel pursued the alliance even after its military victories over the neighboring Arab nations.[8]
In 1958, Israeli prime ministerDavid Ben-Gurion and Turkish prime ministerAdnan Menderes held a secret meeting, in which they discussed the alliance, and exchanged intelligence and military support. Iran was also involved, but at a lesser extent.[9][10] Iran, Turkey, and Israel established a pact known as "the Trident" in 1958.[2] In 1967, Turkey called for Israel's withdrawal from the occupied territories but refused to join the Arabs in condemning Israel as an "aggressor state." At a meeting of theOrganization of the Islamic Conference inRabat, Turkey opposed a resolution calling for Muslim states to sever diplomatic relations with Israel.[9] TheYom Kippur War of 1973 and theOPEC oil embargo however caused a cooling of the alliance.[11]
The 1979Iranian revolution was a major setback for the policy. The new government of Iran severed relations with Israel and withdrew recognition. Iranian leaders such asRuhollah Khomeini,Ali Khamenei andMahmoud Ahmadinejad repeatedly called Israel an "illegal entity" and even called for its destruction. Israel made several questionable attempts at reestablishing the alliance with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Israel alsofunded and armed Iran during theIran-Iraq war, and assisted Iran in the sale of its oil.[12] Turkey facilitated relations between Israel and Iran. Iranian Jews living in Israel would visit Turkey, mail their Israeli passports back to Israel, and enter Iran using their Iranian passports. Iranian government officials flew to Israel from Turkey, and did not stamp their passports.[13]
As Turkey and Iran were the pillars of the alliance, the Kurds did not play a big role. However, Israel actively supported the Kurdish separatist movement in Iraq.[14] Neither Turkey nor Iran wanted a Kurdish state on their borders, although the support for the Kurds in Iraq began in the mid-1960s with approval from Iran. Ben-Gurion urged Mossad to support theKDP "without stepping on Iranian and Turkish toes."[2]
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