|
Trending Topics
|
Sunni Arab States Discuss Peace Against the Wishes of the Palestinians
(Ha'aretz) Anshel Pfeffer - The "Peace to Prosperity" economic workshop in Bahrain is important, not because it will lead to peace: it won't. But for the first time, official representatives of a significant number of Sunni Arab states attended an international conference - hosted by and in an Arab country in public - on resolving the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, and they did so against the express wishes of the Palestinians. Just by taking place, the economic workshop has moved the needle in a major way. As far as most Arab leaders are concerned, the main obstacle to closer relations with Israel is the fear of a possible public backlash. If it wasn't for that, they would have come out into the open years ago. There is no question that, from their perspective, a security alliance with Israel against Iran - preferably with American backing - coupled with trade and tech sales, are more important than any notion of solidarity with the Palestinians. Bahrain is important as another sign of Arab leaders bringing the burgeoning secret relationship into the open.