In an urgent assessment delivered today, veteran diplomatic correspondent Jeremy Bowen has issued a stark warning: the current strategies of Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu are steering the Middle East toward an enduring state of permacrisis. Bowen argues that unless a coordinated international effort, spearheaded by Britain, intervenes, the region risks descending into a prolonged cycle of instability with global repercussions.
Bowen’s analysis draws on decades of reporting from the region. He points to the Trump administration’s unilateral recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and its green-lighting of settlement expansion as policies that have inflamed tensions. Meanwhile, Netanyahu’s coalition government, the most right-wing in Israel’s history, continues to advance annexation plans that erode the possibility of a two-state solution. The result is a combustible mix: Palestinian frustration, regional isolation for Israel, and a power vacuum that extremist groups are filling.
“The situation is not merely a crisis. It is a permacrisis, a self-sustaining cycle of violence and political paralysis,” Bowen writes. He notes that the absence of a credible peace process has left the field open to actors like Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas, who exploit the chaos for their own ends. The recent clashes in Gaza and the West Bank are not isolated incidents but symptoms of a deeper, structural failure.
Bowen argues that Britain, with its historical ties to the region and diplomatic credibility, must take the lead. He calls for a renewed multilateral effort that includes the European Union, the United Nations, and more moderate Arab states such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The goal should be a comprehensive peace plan that addresses security for Israel, a viable Palestinian state, and an end to occupation.
“Britain cannot afford to stand on the sidelines. We saw the consequences of inaction in Iraq and Syria. The same errors cannot be repeated,” Bowen insists. He advocates for immediate British diplomatic engagement, including pressing for a freeze on settlement expansion and reopening the British consulate in East Jerusalem, which was closed by the Trump administration.
Critics may argue that British influence has waned, but Bowen counters that the soft power of diplomacy, intelligence sharing, and economic incentives remain substantial. Moreover, the United Kingdom’s seat on the UN Security Council gives it a platform to push for binding resolutions.
The permacrisis, Bowen warns, is not a distant threat. Each day without progress makes a broader regional war more likely, one that could draw in Israel, Iran, and their proxies, with devastating consequences for global energy markets and security. The choice is clear: either lead a concerted peace push or prepare for a conflict that will dwarf the previous decades of strife.
