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Israel Seeks New Friends to Counter Islamism

(Jerusalem Post) Herb Keinon - Israel is actively looking for friends and allies to counterbalance dramatic Islamic gains in its immediate neighborhood, a senior government official said this week. Israel is looking at three clusters of states as allies and possible counterweights. The first is the eastern Mediterranean circle, made up of Greece, Cyprus, Romania and Bulgaria - countries that are historic rivals of Turkey. The second is in sub-Saharan Africa - Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Nigeria and South Sudan - whose concern about Islamic terrorism at home has led to growing political and security cooperation with Israel. The third includes countries in the region that are in contact with Israel on issues regarding Iran. Yet Israel has not closed the door on ties with Egypt, one government official clarified on Thursday. "We haven't given up on Egypt....It is quite possible we will be moving into a period in our relationship where we will not have the same intimacy, but hopefully the same fundamental interest of both parties will prevail," he said. "Israel and Egypt fought a war in 1948, in 1956, 1967 and 1973. Thousands of people were killed. Is that what they want to go back to? Is that what they are proposing?"
2011-12-02 00:00:00
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