The Day After the Ayatollahs
What would the Middle East look like if the ayatollah regime in Iran fell – and what would happen if Israel and Iran became partners?
What would the Middle East look like if the ayatollah regime in Iran fell – and what would happen if Israel and Iran became partners?
There are moments in history when you feel the ground move. Not an earthquake – more like an old wooden table that an empire was built on, and suddenly someone discovers that one of the legs has been eaten by termites.
This is what Iran looks like in 2026.
After two years of surprises, Axis of Evil looks like a beautiful idea from the 2000s that got stuck in 2026 without a version update.
There are certain things in the world: the sun rises in the east, the IDF is delayed in a briefing, and the Haaretz editorial team presents Israel to its readers — but only after it has been put through an industrial guilt grinder.
Like gefilte fish: grind, add ironic sauce, and be careful not to make it feel a little too Jewish.
Before our eyes, a strange, disturbing and sometimes pathetic alliance is being forged between the radical left in the West and fundamentalist Islamist movements. They call it the red-green alliance – red like the blood from the communist revolution, green like the flags of Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood. And this is not science fiction, this is the reality in which universities, the media and, rather disturbingly, quite a few European politicians live.
If you’ve ever searched for the factor that makes terrorists run like tigers, scream like peacocks and feel like they’re invulnerable – look no further. It’s not about the Holy Spirit, it’s not about deep inner jihad, it’s not even about the ideology of a paradise with 72 virgins. It’s about a small, white pill with a name that sounds like a health insurance product – Captagon. Only instead of healing, it’s addictive, dangerous, and of course – insanely profitable.