Iran-Israel: How friends became archenemies

Iran has been one of the loudest voices against Israel's brutal bombardment of Gaza, and with its staunch Anti-Israel foreign policy many consider them to be archenemies. 

However this has not always been the case. 

Iran was one of the 11 members of the special United Nations committee that was formed in 1947 to devise a solution for Palestine after the British control of the territory ended.

It was one of three to vote against the UN's partition plan for Palestine, proposing a federated system. 

This was Iran's compromise in order to maintain positive relations with the pro-Zionist west, the Zionist movement and its Arab and Muslim neighbours.

Iran was in fact the second Muslim-majority nation to recognize Israel in 1948 during the Pahlavi dynasty.

This recognition stemmed from Iran's interest in managing Iranian assets in Palestine and aligning with Israel's "periphery doctrine" to counter Arab isolation.

"To end its isolation in the Middle East, Israel's Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion pursued relations with non-Arab states at the 'edges' of the Middle East, in what would later become known as the periphery doctrine. This also included Ethiopia, but Iran and Turkey were by far the most successful approaches," University of Oxford historian Eirik Kvindesland told Al Jazeera.

Relations shifted when Mohammad Mosaddegh nationalised Iran's oil industry in 1951, severing ties with Israel due to its perceived alignment with Western interests. 

After Mosaddegh's overthrow in a 1953 coup orchestrated by the UK and US, ties resumed. 

The shah, a staunch Western ally, facilitated trade and military cooperation with Israel, prioritising alliances and security over Palestinian concerns.

Israel valued the partnership more than Iran did, viewing Iran as a gateway to the Middle East despite its anti-Zionist stance. 

"Israel needed Iran more than Iran needed Israel. It was always Israel that was the proactive party, but the shah also wanted a way to improve its [Iran's] relations with the US, and at the time Israel was seen as a good way to achieve that aim," Kvindesland said.

The shah sought to bolster ties with the US and enhance security, leading to collaboration between Iranian and Israeli intelligence services. 

Ultimately, the shah's focus on alliances and trade overshadowed Palestinian interests in dealings with Israel.

In 1979, Iran underwent a revolution leading to the establishment of the Islamic Republic. 

Ayatollah Khomeini, its leader, brought about a new worldview that predominantly championed Islam and argued for standing up to "arrogant" world powers and their regional allies, who would oppress others – including Palestinians – to serve their own interests.

Relations with Israel were severed, with Tehran adopting a staunchly pro-Palestinian stance, epitomized by the renaming of the Israeli embassy as the Palestinian embassy. 

Khomeini initiated Quds Day, rallying Iranians in support of Palestinians. 

All of this was for Iran to assert leadership in the Islamic world by championing the Palestinian cause.

"To overcome both the Arab-Persian divide and the Sunni-Shia divide, Iran adopted a much more aggressive position on the Palestinian issue to brandish its leadership credentials in the Islamic world and to put Arab regimes allied with the United States on the defensive," Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, told Al Jazeera.

The animosity between Iran and Israel intensified over the years, with both sides supporting opposing factions across the region. 

Iran backs a network of groups, termed the "resistance axis," while Israel supports groups hostile to the Iranian regime, including those designated as terrorist organisations by Tehran.

The tensions between Iran and Israel extend beyond ideologies, manifesting in a series of alleged attacks on each other's interests, both domestically and abroad, constituting a "shadow war." 

These attacks, denied publicly, notably revolve around Iran's nuclear program, a target of major assaults such as the Stuxnet malware, believed to be orchestrated by Israel and the US. 

Iran attributes sabotage attacks on its nuclear and military sites to Israel, often foiled and publicly disclosed. 

Assassinations, notably the killing of nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh in 2020, showcase the brazenness of these attacks. 

Conversely, Israel and its Western allies accuse Iran of targeting Israeli interests, evidenced by drone strikes on oil tankers and cyberattacks. 

The conflict's escalation underscores the profound animosity between the two nations, driven by divergent geopolitical ambitions and security concerns.

The Middle East is witnessing shifts in diplomatic relations, with some Arab states normalising ties with Israel to gain Western support, while Saudi Arabia recently restored relations with Iran following a seven-year rift, mediated by China. 

Despite US efforts to broker a Saudi-Israeli deal, ongoing Israeli actions in Gaza have stalled progress. 

Both Iran and Saudi Arabia oppose US dominance in the region, with Iran-backed groups targeting American bases. 

This rivalry for regional influence has led to a prolonged low-level conflict between Iran and Israel, showing no signs of resolution.