One of the most intimidating aspects of modern US relations with the Arab and Muslim world is Washington's insistence that all Arab and Muslim-majority countries normalise relations with the state of Israel as a reward for its ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people.

These demands have intensified since the US and Israel launched their war of aggression against Iran in February. Washington's long-standing push for Saudi normalisation continues unabated, as does its pressure on Qatar, Iraq, Libya, Tunisia, Syria, and Indonesia, among others, to follow suit.

More recently, the US succeeded in bringing to power a new Lebanese government that has gone as far as supporting Israel's occupation of Lebanese territory by signing an agreement last month recognising the "sovereignty" of the genocidal state.

But even before Israel began its genocide, Arab regimes' recognition of Israel has always been fraught with the question of Israel's borders.

Which Israel, and which borders, are these Arab and Muslim-majority countries required to recognise?

Israeli ambassador Yechiel Leiter, State Department Chief of Staff Daniel Holler and Lebanese ambassador Nada Hamadeh sign a framework agreement in Washington, DC, on 26 June 2026 (Saul Loeb/AFP)