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Israel Summit Shows Ties with Arabs Moving from Ceremony to Substance

(New York Times) Patrick Kingsley - Israel's meeting with top diplomats from the U.S. and four Arab countries - Egypt, the UAE, Morocco and Bahrain - on Sunday is one of the strongest signs yet that the country is beginning to reap the dividends of normalization deals, confirming a profound realignment of Middle Eastern powers. The deals have also prompted Egypt, a longtime peace partner, to engage more meaningfully with Israel as Cairo tries to revive its role as Israel's bridge to the Arab world. Polls suggest that many people in the Arab world do not support normalizing ties with Israel. But to Gulf leaders, the cost is outweighed by the benefits of sending a strong message to both the U.S. and their shared enemy, Iran. For Gulf countries, "the optics of sending a message about a new security alliance, pushing the relationship with Israel out in the open and then sending a message to Iran, and in a way to the U.S. - that is the main priority," said Elham Fakhro, a Bahraini political analyst. In any case, she said, "They've found that there isn't much of a price to pay domestically." Israel and other countries in the region are also working to formalize a communication system that will allow each partner to warn one another in real time about incoming drones from Iran and its proxies, according to a senior Israeli defense official. As American attention diverts elsewhere, Arab leaders have realized that Israel is a long-term partner, said Yoel Guzansky, an expert at Israel's Institute for National Security Studies. The meeting is being held in the Negev desert town of Sde Boker on Sunday and Monday. The decision to hold the meeting in the Negev, rather than in Jerusalem, reflects how that city is still a highly delicate issue for Arab leaders. To attend a summit in Jerusalem was considered a bridge too far for Arab ministers.
2022-03-28 00:00:00
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