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Egypt Crisis Fortifies U.S., Israel Ties

(Politico) Ben Smith - Officials in both countries credit the U.S. government's all-hands-on-deck response with saving the lives of six Israeli guards trapped in their Cairo embassy's safe room. The incident also proved something of a reality check for the U.S.-Israel alliance. The U.S. alliance with Israel was, in a moment of crisis, both reflexive and effective. Netanyahu's thanks after the incident was unstinting. And the incident seemed to bind the countries closer together. Netanyahu aide Ron Dermer told Politico: "We've enjoyed a period over the last four months of very close coordination with the administration, probably the best coordination that we've had over the last two-and-a-half years over the range of issues....I think that we're definitely in a good place, with the U.S. administration and us seeing a lot of things eye to eye." The incident also underscored the increasingly complex challenges facing both countries amid Arab turmoil, and the dangers springing from it that seem to have pushed the U.S. and Israel back into alignment. "Arab spring and its breathlessness has turned into Arab winter and sober assessment. Israel's fears become America's and the desire and ability to pressure Bibi [Netanyahu] goes way down," said Aaron David Miller, a former U.S. peace negotiator now at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars in Washington. "I think the incident is bad news on many levels, but not the least for the Egyptian military that is proud of its decades of growing close cooperation with the Pentagon," said David Makovsky, a scholar at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. "If Egypt keeps going down this course and ultimately abrogates the peace treaty with Israel, U.S.-Egyptian relations will not be exempt but will be dealt a crippling blow."
2011-09-14 00:00:00
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