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Why the Jerusalem Announcement Won't Hurt America's Arab Alliances

(Atlantic) Shadi Hamid - Most Arab countries won't care much about Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, which might seem counterintuitive. The announcement comes at a time when Arab regimes - particularly Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Egypt - find themselves more aligned than ever with Israel on regional priorities, sharing a near obsession with Iran as the source of the region's evils. In effect if not in intent, few are as indifferent to Muslim life as Arab countries are. It may be hard for Arabs to admit, but Israel has proven - in relative terms - more respectful of Muslim life than most Arab regimes. No one, then, should fall under the illusion that declaring Jerusalem Israel's capital will harm America's alliances with most, or even many, Arab nations (Jordan being a notable exception). The writer is a senior fellow at the Project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World at the Brookings Institution.
2017-12-08 00:00:00
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