(Jerusalem Post) Herb Keinon - The normalization accords between Israel and the UAE and Bahrain deserve to be celebrated in a ceremony. The way they realign the Middle East is something worth celebrating. Former State Department officials scoffed at Jared Kushner, an upstart without any diplomatic experience, for even trying. Yet here we are. Having normal relations with the wider Arab world is something Israelis have dreamed about for decades. The ceremony at the White House is significant for the message it sends the Palestinians, the region, and the world. It tells the Palestinians that their strategy of trying to pressure Israel by isolating it, by casting it as an international leper, has failed. The event sends a message to the Iranians and the Turks that their designs for regional hegemony will be met by a firm wall of pragmatic Mideast states. It also tells other Arab and Muslim states that ties with Israel are acceptable. The ceremony sends an important message to the world - long locked into the idea that peace will come only if the Palestinians get everything they ask for - that this need not be the case, and that significant progress can be made even if the Palestinians refuse to show any flexibility. The agreements signed on Tuesday are proof that different results are possible if different methods are tried.
2020-09-17 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive