[Guardian-UK] Simon Tisdall - Tehran's sinister hand is seen in all the key problems facing Israel, including Hizbullah in Lebanon and Hamas, and in the fostering of what Professor Amnon Rubinstein calls Israel's "sense of abandonment surrounded by a rising sea of Islamism." The Ahmadinejad phenomenon represents by common agreement an existential threat. It is radically altering the way Israel views its neighborhood. One result has been the effective downgrading of the Palestinian issue. Officials welcome the latest U.S. peacemaking efforts. But they say ongoing, low-level conflict can be "managed" almost indefinitely. Similarly, Israel's relations with Arab governments, including Saudi Arabia, have reached a high in recent months, driven not by a developing affinity, but by shared fear of Iran.
2007-04-06 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive