David’s Corridor and the Patterns of Hegemonic Politics
Over the past decade, hate speech has evolved in an unprecedented way. Although it is part of the ideological conflict of religious, sectarian, doctrinal, or political—centered on believing in “us” and disbelieving or even demonizing the “other,” it has now become a demagogic tool aimed at dominating the will of societies by fabricating notions of an imminent, grave threat and orchestrating them within the context of conspiracy-theory
with a level of professionalism that appears to be greater than that which was used during World War II and the Cold War.
In Middle Eastern societies, demagogy is a primary means for politicians and clerics to pursue their authoritarian ambitions, and it is also a means for systems and organizations to ensure their continued control over their followers and staffing more followers. In Syria, for example, nationalist and religious organizations are among the most prominent actors in the country’s crises, and the atrocities committed there are carried out by individuals who are led by propaganda of excommunication, treason, and conspiracy with the enemy, which in turn are the main vocabulary of the hate speech that is actively active in the Syrian Arabic-language media space, which is managed by regional systems and transnational organizations. These organizations have come to define themselves in demagogic patterns under the slogans: the axis of resistance, waiting for the awaited Mahdi, the Ottoman Caliphate to defeat the Crusaders, confronting Zionism, resisting liberalism, defending on national security, liberating Jerusalem, the Caliphate according to the prophetic method, and others. They are used to obscure the suffering of societies and postpone the building of civilization until the “inspired leader” comes to power, and perhaps it will be postponed until further notice until the inspiring leader triumphs over the global conspiracies that are being hatched against his efforts. At the same time, it is used to staffing minds and fighters to fight the various other societies which hate speech turns into monsters that must be exterminated, and once again the atrocities committed against the Alawites, Druze, and Kurds in Syria express this truth.
The term “David’s Corridor” suddenly appears in the context of this Dangerous speech as a factor in the demagogic systems of hegemony. Although it is an idea that emerged in the context of the peace process between “Arab and Islamic” states and the State of Israel, it has been used by authoritarian regimes such as Iran and Turkey, as well as Arab nationalist organizations and Islamist groups such as ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the Muslim Brotherhood, and Hizb -Tahrir al-Islami, in their staffing propaganda and inflammatory rhetoric against those who reject their approaches, especially democrats, religious moderates, liberals, and non-Sunni sects. Although the “David’s Corridor” is an idea proposed by some researchers and has not received attention from the Israeli government, and despite it being a relatively unworkable project according to its definition, the media institutions of these authoritarian regimes have worked to exaggerate the negative description of this term, as if it were a reality being implemented to undermine the Islamic and Arab nation. It has become one of the main materials in promoting the so-called “Zionist and Crusader danger and the threats facing the nation.” It has also become an instigator in recruitment operations and the execution of murders. It has even been used as a pretext to accuse local opponents and rivals of infidelity or treason, who in turn use the term.
To uncover the truth of this matter, political awareness must be raised to analyze the underlying reasons behind the exploitation of the “David’s Corridor” as a demagogic tool and media outlet that harbors hate speech and warns of alleged dangers threatening the nation, and its use to legitimize the violation of the lives and rights of communities. So, it is useful to objectively examine the background of this project, the objectives of the parties exploiting it, the underlying reasons behind its promotion, and its repercussions for peace and security in the region. This should be done based on a set of relevant political, security, and economic data in the region.
o Background behind the emergence of the term “David’s Corridor Project.”
When researching numerous Israeli and international studies and analyses related to Zionist ideas and the political and security doctrine of the State of Israel, the term “David’s Corridor” was not found as a project linking Israel to the geography of Kurdistan. In general, Israel has named a number of corridors it established in the past after David. For example, some Israeli media outlets have dubbed the “Corridor to the City of David” to connect the areas of Israeli control in West Jerusalem to the Jewish holy sites in the Old City in the eastern part of Jerusalem, particularly the Bronze Age archaeological site located south of the Temple Mount and called the “City of David” in historical documents. There is no historical mention of a corridor or route taken by King David to Iraq, Syria, or even Egypt, unlike the famous journeys of the Prophet Abrahim to Mesopotamia, the Levant, Egypt, and the Hejaz. Meanwhile, in May 2024, Israel built the “David’s Corridor,” a relatively[1] new corridor parallel to the Philadelphi Corridor, to isolate the Gaza Strip from Sinai and control the Rafah crossing and adjacent territories in the context of its war on Hamas. While this crossing has been rejected by the Egyptians and Palestinians, but it has become a reality.
After the 1973 war, Israeli forces established a military logistical corridor in the Golan Heights called “David’s Corridor”[2], which extends along the Syrian border to the Tel Fares area in the south, parallel to the border fence.
The first proposal for the “David’s Corridor” was during Trump’s first term in office by American politician Walid Phares (former advisor to President Donald Trump),[3] in the context of his call to establish a corridor linking the Golan Heights to American bases in northern Iraq and northern and eastern Syria, and to support local government systems that support secularism and are waging war against ISIS, within the framework of the declared American policy in the region.
Despite the above data, the term “David’s Corridor” was outside the context of the interests of nationalist and Islamist ideologues. Turkish and Arabic-language media outlets were the first to promote this term, through systematic media campaigns after Hamas agreed to enter into negotiations with the Israeli authorities in the summer of 2024, and Israeli officials announced their desire to make political changes to the map of the Middle East, and did not invite Turkey to join the “Indo-European” road project or the “Abrahamic Peace Road” or access to the Saudi “NEOM” project [4]in the border triangle between Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan, in addition to the failure of the development road project that connects the Gulf by land to Europe via Turkey for security and logistical reasons. It appears that Iranian-backed media outlets have followed Turkey’s lead and adopted the term to warn of Western conspiracies against local communities, with the aim of marketing themselves as a resistance force in the region and protecting their spheres of influence. There appears to be an overlap between the two regimes regarding the goal of obstructing any Israeli hegemony over southern Syria and creating a security and ideological environment that opposes it.
Despite direct Israeli intervention in the crisis in southern Syria, no Israeli official has issued any indication regarding this project, there are also no field movements paving the way for the implementation of this project. Even the international coalition forces have withdrawn from their main bases in the eastern countryside of Deir ezzor (the eastern bank of the Euphrates River), whose presence there—according to nationalist and Islamist propaganda—was supposed to secure this project. Despite Israeli pressure to establish a corridor to transport relief aid from the Druze of Israel to the Sweida Governorate, there are currently no plans to establish infrastructure for such a project in northern and eastern Syria. On the other hand, many road construction engineers confirm the difficulty of implementing a corridor crossing the rugged Syrian desert from Sweida to Deir ezzor due to the high cost, fragile security environment, and construction difficulties, in addition to the presence of a road Another parallel strategic route is the M20 highway, also known as the “Desert Highway,” which connects Hasakah with Damascus via Deir ezzor. Shipping has largely stopped due to the Syrian crisis. The corridor may be more of a zone of influence that Israel is attempting to establish than an international shipping route, as part of a military strategy to cut off the Tehran-Beirut route. However, this can be achieved through air superiority and a commitment by Iraq and Syria to close their borders to the transfer of weapons and fighters, or to prevent the passage of parts and equipment used in weapons manufacturing. This policy has been pursued by Israeli forces for years, having repeatedly targeted the military transport of pro-Iranian factions in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon.
Economically, any corridor the Israeli government intends to establish, or use the desert road between Hasaka and Damascus within the framework of the Abraham Peace Agreement after the annexation of Damascus, may be aimed at reaching the development road, from which a road branches off to the ‘’Tal Kocher’’ international crossing between the Jazira Canton and Mosul. This would transform Israel into a link between the ‘’NEOM’’ project, the ‘’Indo-European Road’’, the development road, and the Hejaz Road, which the Turkish authorities seek to revive again[5] by controlling the M5 highway (Gaziantep-Aleppo-Damascus-Al-Aqaba). These roads seem to carry significant economic gains for all countries, but they conflict with the Iranian and Turkish Islamic ideological projects and jihadist organizations, as well as with Zionist projects within the context of the strategy of hegemony over the countries of the region by directly controlling them, dividing them, or fueling armed conflicts within them, which is what is happening on the ground. On the other hand, Achieving the Abraham peace in the region would establish a new and powerful economic bloc to counter the Turkish-Qatari economic bloc, as well as hinder the expansion of Russian, Chinese, and Iranian power in the region. In parallel, implementing the Hejaz Road or the development route would achieve new economic gains for Turkey. However, Turkey’s demonstration of hostility toward Israel, its support for the Muslim Brotherhood, which is banned in most Arab countries, its involvement in the Damascus regime’s perpetration of massacres against Alawites, Druze, and Kurds, and its opening of the door to the rise of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood, in addition to Saudi Arabia’s signing of agreements and memoranda of understanding worth more than $6.5 billion with the transitional government in Damascus, and the rise of Saudi influence in Syria, all indicate that Syria has become an arena for geopolitical conflict between the Arabs, Israel, Turkey, and Iran. This conflict greatly undermines Turkey’s plans to secure its share of international shipping routes and reveals the underlying objectives behind exploiting the “David’s Corridor” to fuel hate speech in the region and promote conspiracy theories among Syrians.
o The David’s Corridor in the Directed Media
The narrative of both the Turkish and Iranian media, as well as the Islamist groups, all share the view that the David’s Corridor is a “Zionist project whose goal is to connect northern Israel to the Kurdistan Region via a road passing through the Golan Heights, Sweida, Deir ezzor, and Hasakah. Its goal is to divide Syria into sectarian entities, weaken the central authority there, control its resources, strike at the Islamic resistance, and realize the Zionist project from the Euphrates to the Nile”[6]. Without providing any tangible evidence or documents to prove the veracity of these narratives, which are cloaked in an ideologically conspiratorial emotional tone, they are reinforced by the opinions of a group of individuals described as analysts and experts who, in turn, play their role By exaggerating the fabricated perceptions about this corridor and calling for confronting it, this clearly reveals the agenda of the regimes and organizations that promote the danger of the alleged corridor. They know that the peace process in the Middle East threatens the failure of their expansionist ideological projects, or that they are trying to divert attention from their relations with Tel Aviv towards a third side. They also try through it to undermine the local political and social elites demanding the implementation of democracy and decentralization in the management of internal affairs. They also try to work to fuel sectarian tensions and create national tensions between the components of the region, and incite against anyone who rejects the Turkish, Iranian or ISIS agenda, accusing them of being linked to the Zionist project, in a clear demagogic pattern. On this basis, the Syrian Druze, Kurds, and Arab democrats are portrayed as tools serving this project. The battles that took place in Sweida, the massacres committed there, and the systematic incitement campaign against the Autonomous Administration and the Syrian Democratic Forces have all revealed the effects of the hate speech generated by such ideas. This project is expected to continue to be exploited in sectarian and nationalist mobilization operations in both Syria and Iraq. ISIS may exploit the uncertainty in the region and perhaps also exploit the security gaps in the conflict between regional states to reassert its control over eastern Syria and western Iraq.
Based on the above, a set of concepts can be presented regarding the dimensions of the “David’s Corridor” project and the underlying objectives behind the media hype surrounding the project:
- Trade routes are of great strategic importance. Blocking them would impose a blockade on the areas they pass through. They can also be exploited for military transport; therefore, they are an important pressure card, while at the same time having significant economic benefits. It can be asserted that trade routes have become as important as the rivers on whose banks cities and civilizations arose. Instead of water, goods and money would flow.
- The position of regional regimes – especially Turkey and Iran – on the issue of the “David’s Corridor” project stems from the dominance of realist theory in international relations [7] over their political doctrine. This theory is no longer a fundamental pillar for the major powers in the dominant international system, which have come to rely more on pragmatism in their international relations.
- Turkish and Iranian media outlets, as well as those affiliated with political Islam groups, are the most focused on framing the project within the framework of a conspiracy theory. This is clearly exploited to inflame anti-Kurdish and anti-Druze sentiment, promote claims that the fall of the “Baathist regime” served the alleged conspiracies being hatched against the nation, and divert attention from internal crises.
- Strategically, Turkey is not an enemy of Israel, but rather a competitor, and Turkey has significant interests in the international shipping route project that reaches Israel.
- Israel has a significant interest and economic benefits in accessing the development road and the M5 and M20 highways in Syria, the Tehran-Beirut highway, and access to the Qatari gas pipelines planned for extension to Syrian or Turkish ports, as well as the Iranian and Iraqi gas and oil pipelines planned for extension to Syrian and Lebanese ports. This access is difficult to achieve through military force, but can only be achieved within the framework of regional peace.
- Turkey is trying to revive the Hejaz Road via the M5 to reach Aqaba, the NEOM project, and the Indo-European Road.
- Israel’s control over southern Syria will force Turkey to accept Israeli conditions in exchange for allowing the Hejaz route to operate.
From the above, it can be asserted that the “David’s Corridor” project has become an element in the equation of conflict and regional competition, despite its lack of actual presence on the ground. The parties that warn of its danger are working to transform it into a source of threat to peace in the region. At the same time, it is being used as a factor to undermine peace in the region by fabricating pretexts to attack the Kurds, Druze, and the democratic community in the region, and staffing elements to undermine the interests of the opponent and competitors. This fact is clearly expressed by both the attacks against American bases in the north and east of Syria, and the attempts to incite tribes against the Syrian Democratic Forces, From the above, it can be asserted that the “David’s Corridor” project has become an element in the equation of regional conflict and competition, despite its lack of actual presence on the ground. The parties warning of its danger are actually working to transform it into a threat to peace in the region. At the same time, it is being used as a factor to undermine peace in the region by fabricating pretexts to attack the Kurds, Druze, and the democratic community in the region, and recruiting elements to undermine the interests of opponents and competitors. This reality is clearly expressed by the attacks against US bases in North and East Syria, attempts to incite tribes against the Syrian Democratic Forces, the escalation of ISIS attacks in Deir ezzor province, the growing sectarian tension between Shiites and Sunnis in Iraq, attempts to disarm the Popular Mobilization Forces, the elimination of the autonomous administration in Sinjar, and the attempt to cover up the concessions offered by the Damascus authorities to Israel by directing popular anger toward the Alawites, Druze, Shiites, and Kurds.
[1] Efe Ozkan; Israel pursues political, military goals by building divisive corridors in Gaza; Anadolu Agency; Update: 17.09.2024; Link:
[2] Majdi Al-Halabi; “David’s Corridor” between truth and conspiracy theory enthusiasts’ imagination; Publisher: Elaph; Publication date: 07/29/2025; Link:
https://elaph.com/Web/ElaphWriter/2025/07/1573602.html
[3] Erem News; “David’s Corridor”… The Israeli proposal resurfaces and threatens to partition Syria; Publisher: Erem News; Publication date: 02.08.2025; Link: https://www.eremnews.com/news/arab-world/7hpmbur
[4] The project, within the framework of the ambitious aspirations of Vision 2030, aims to transform the Kingdom into a leading global model in various aspects of life, by focusing on attracting value chains in industries and technology within the project. The first phase of NEOM will be completed by 2025. The project is supported by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) with a value of $500 billion, as well as local and international investors. The estimated project costs exceed $8.8 trillion (more than 25 times the annual Saudi budget) … Wikipedia; NEOM.
[5] Middle East: An upcoming Turkish-Syrian-Jordanian meeting to regulate land transport operations; Publisher: Middle East; Publication date: August 23, 2025; Link:
https://aawsat.com/الاقتصاد/5178295-تجمع-تركي-سوري-أردواني-مرتقب-لتنظيم-تشغيليات-النقل-الأرض
[6] للاطلاع على بعض من هذه الروايات انظر:
Al-Estiklal Newspaper; Syrian Power Struggle: Turkey and ‘Israel’ Clash Over ‘David’s Corridor’ Plan; Link: https://www.alestiklal.net/en/article/syrian-power-struggle-Turkey-and-israel-clash-over-david-s-corridor-plan
Amaaj News; “David’s Corridor”, the “Greater Israel” project from the Golan Heights to Iraq!!; No publication date; Link: https://amaj24news.com/تعرفوا-إلى-مشروع-ممر-داوود-الإسرائيل/
Dr. Imad Akoush; David’s Corridor: An Israeli Plan to Divide Syria and Change the Map of the Middle East; Publisher: Yalla News; Publication Date: 06/08/2025; Link:
http://yallasyrianews.com/article/ممر-داود-خطة-إسرائيلية-لتقسيم-سوريا-وتغيير-خريطة-الشرق-الأوسط
The Trenches; David’s Corridor: A Fact Proven by Facts; Publisher: The Trenches Website; Publication Date: 04/12/2025; Link: https://alkhanadeq.com/post/8498/ممر-داوود-حقيقة-تثبتها-الوقائع
Afghan Voice News Agency; The new Zionist project in Syria: building the David’s Crossing and the goals behind the scenes; Publisher: Afghan Voice News Agency; Publication date: 2025.03.18; Link:
[7] Realism, also known as political realism, is a view of international politics that emphasizes its competitive and conflictual aspect…
