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Israel and Its Arab Neighbors Drawn Together by Iran

(Commentary) Jonathan S. Tobin - After several decades of unremitting hostility, some of the fiercest opponents of Israel are starting to view the Jewish state very differently. Covert ties with Saudi Arabia are now becoming more open. Egypt has a government that is no longer shy about treating Israel as an ally if not a friend. Israel and its Arab neighbors have been drawn together in large part due to the Iran nuclear deal. Those nations that are targeted most directly by Iran - Israel and Saudi Arabia - understand that appeasement of Iran advances its drive for regional hegemony as well as merely postponing the moment when it will achieve nuclear capability. While both the Saudis and Egyptians hope to use their new ties with Israel to jump-start peace talks with the Palestinians, PA leader Mahmoud Abbas is appalled about the idea of being pushed into negotiations with Israel again because it will force him to either refuse peace offers (as he did in 2008) or to blow up the talks (as he did in 2014) to avoid being cornered. Ever since 1967, any hope of Arab reconciliation with Israel has been frustrated by Palestinian rejectionism. But that is a luxury that Cairo and Riyadh can no longer afford because of the nuclear deal and the rise of Islamist terror groups.
2016-09-02 00:00:00
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