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Israel Hopes It Is Finally Gaining Acceptance in Its Neighborhood

(New York Times) David M. Halbfinger - Since its founding, Israel has seen itself as a tiny nation-state in a hostile desert, surrounded by Arab and Muslim enemies who denounced the Jewish state as an outpost of foreign intruders who were bound to be evicted like all their predecessors back to the Crusaders. But with agreements to normalize ties with the UAE and Bahrain, to be signed at the White House on Tuesday, could Israel at last be gaining acceptance in the region as a legitimate member of the neighborhood? Israelis who have studied the Arab world, including former intelligence and national-security officials, are deeply cautious about how much this shift has progressed, saying that Israel is far from being able to let its guard down toward its newfound friends. Former Israeli lawmaker Einat Wilf says, "They're retelling the entire story of the Jews in the region and they're changing the whole narrative: They're not saying, 'We still hate Israel, Jews are bad, we wish they're gone but we need them against Iran.' They're saying the Jews belong here, that we're not foreigners, and that the Palestinians need to accept us."
2020-09-14 00:00:00
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