(Maariv Hashavua-Jerusalem Post) Yasser Okbi - A senior IDF officer told the Saudi news outlet Elaph that Israel had secret relations and common interests with a number of Arab states besides Egypt and Jordan. The officer explained that the Middle East "region is built on four different powers. The first is Iran and its supporters including Syria, Hizbullah, the Houthis in Yemen and other Iranian-supporting groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad." "The second power, and the most important one today, are the moderate countries such as Egypt, Jordan and the Persian Gulf states. Israel has a common language with these states....The third power is the Islamic Brotherhood, which no longer has influence after failures in Egypt and Tunisia. The fourth power consists of jihadi groups such as Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra, who fight everyone from Iran to the moderate states as well as the Muslim Brotherhood." "We in Israel are an island of stability in this stormy sea. But there is a danger that the strife will reach us as well if the instability in the region continues for a long time. Therefore, we need to take advantage of the opportunity and work together with the moderate states to renew quiet in the region."
2016-01-07 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive