(Gatestone Institute) Khaled Abu Toameh - According to several Arab political analysts, the recent war between Israel and the Iranian-backed Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) should be seen in the context of Tehran's attempts to force the U.S. to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. By unleashing Islamic Jihad against Israel, the mullahs are apparently trying to tell the U.S., "You see what we are capable of doing? We have a number of militias and armed groups that could attack Israel and Arab countries. Hurry up and give us (Iran) everything we want before it is too late." PIJ is not different than Iran's other proxies in the Middle East, especially Lebanon's Hizbullah and Yemen's Houthi militia. These proxies are all staunchly committed to the destruction of Israel and the killing of as many Jews as possible. The Arabs are stressing that the Americans are mistaken to think that Iran will change its dangerous policies and actions once it reaches a new nuclear deal with the U.S. The Arabs are saying that the time has come for the international community to make Iran pay for its continued support for Islamist terrorist groups and intervention in the internal affairs of a number of Arab countries. The U.S. needs to understand that any concessions to the mullahs will pose a critical threat to U.S. interests and harm America's allies and friends in the Middle East. Iran would not have dared stand behind PIJ and encourage it to attack Israel had it not sensed indecision on the part of the U.S.
2022-08-18 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive