I wrote an opinion piece that was featured in the Australian Financial Review, “Why I still believe in a new golden age for the Middle East”.
For the region to flourish, the Iranian regime’s network of terror must be dismantled, root and branch.
One year ago, Hamas launched its horrific attacks on Israel, reminding the world of the deep-rooted terror spread by Hamas and Hezbollah. Backed by the current Iranian regime, these groups are the greatest obstacles to peace – not just for Israel, but for the entire Middle East and beyond.
These attacks were engineered by Tehran just as Israel stood on the brink of normalising relations with Saudi Arabia, a historic step towards regional harmony. The gambit was obvious: provoke retaliation and hope the Middle East would turn on Israel. It didn’t happen.
I love the Middle East. I love its people – Arabs, Jews, Persians and all those who have called these lands home for millennia. My dream is for this wondrous region, from the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea to the Arabian Gulf, to live in peace and prosperity.
Yet this peace cannot coexist with these terrorist organisations and their corrosive ideology. Hamas is obsessed with Israel’s destruction; Hezbollah keeps Lebanon in an iron grip, serving Tehran’s interests in attacking Israel while ensuring that Lebanon – one of my favourite places in the world, a country bursting with beauty and brilliance – remains mired in instability, its effulgent and generous people deprived of the peace and freedom they deserve.
For the Middle East to flourish, the Iranian regime’s network of terror – fuelled by hatred and ignorance, and designed to perpetuate chaos and the end of Israel and the West – must be dismantled, root and branch.
I’ve been to the region nearly a hundred times, spending the equivalent of eighteen months on the ground there over the past 12 years. I’ve made friends, partners, and clients across its many cities. A generation ago, my grandmother’s family lived in Egypt; perhaps there’s something in my blood that draws me back to the region.
I built and ran a company in the UAE. I’ve hired Palestinians and visited the West Bank. I spent time in Beirut teaching startup founders how to grow their businesses – between visits to some of the most welcoming restaurants, bars, nightclubs and homes the city has to offer. I’ve worked with Saudi clients since 2020. I’ve partnered with many Israeli start-ups. I’ve taken cover from Gaza’s rockets in Tel Aviv, and a few hours later, ate hummus at the famous Abu Hassan in Jaffa. I participated in an erev Shabbat service at the Jerusalem Great Synagogue. I’ve even had drinks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the balcony of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem.
At every turn, I’ve been stunned by vision, talent, and boundless optimism. And the fun. These people are great fun. It’s a cocktail of ancient culture and breathtaking modern ambition, where every conversation, business deal, or shared meal feels like a celebration, from the rise and rise of Dubai, to Israel’s “start-up state” to Saudi Arabia’s “Vision 2030″. There is an energy that courses through the streets, an infectious belief in tomorrow and the decades to come. Even amidst the seriousness of conflict, there is a certain joie de vivre – a spirit unwilling to bow down to darkness, a laughter that rings out no matter how absurd or desperate the circumstances. It’s quite intoxicating (and a welcome tonic to Australia’s tepid mentality), and it’s why I genuinely believe that a new golden age for the Middle East is within reach.
The Abraham Accords are proof of what is possible – a glimpse into a peaceful, prosperous future for this region, and a hint of the potential still waiting to be realised.
But to fulfil this vision, the influence of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and its proxies must be eradicated. No half-measures. And it shouldn’t just be the job of the Israel Defence Forces, either. It must be a global effort. This isn’t only about Israel’s security (as worthy a goal as that is in isolation); it’s about building a future of stability, freedom, and cooperation for the entire region – and for the world.
