Overwhelmed by decades of Palestinian instability and eager to forge new alliances in the Middle East, Arab-centric countries are finally moving to put the Israeli-Palestinian cause behind them and remove that thorn from their sides.
They launched a two-pronged attack, a kind of pincer work, but not the classic type. One Arab army entered Gaza from Egypt, and the other entered the West Bank of Jordan.
LR: Bahrain FM Abdullatif al-Zayani, PM Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump, and Emirati FM Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan at the signing of the Abrahamic Treaties at the White House
(Photo: AFP)
Israel did not play an active role in the attack. They had already agreed terms of settlement, took control of their main settlement blocks and evacuated some of the smallest spaces in the central West Bank – and finally got an end. which is internationally recognized on the eastern face.
No one was calling this “peace.” The new Middle East was not one of peaceful allies among all its nations. Instead, it was a battlefield for most Shi’ite Muslims on one side and Sunni Muslims on the other.
Because of Iran’s nuclear weapons program and the imminent threats to destroy the Jewish state, Israel will easily respond to a Sunni camp led by Saudi Arabia. One by one, Sunni countries went public with their relationship with Israel, formalizing them – some with agreements called “peace,” others appropriate with security and economic relations that they preferred not to be. name, at least for now.
On the other side were Iran, Qatar and Syria, along with parts of what used to be Iraq – and the Palestinians, who had been thrown in by Iran and Qatar.
Iraqi and Syrian border troops mark the opening of a new crossroads between the two states in 2019
(Photo: Archive)
After decades of demanding that Israel give its own state to the Palestinians, then looking at the Palestinians rejecting offers of such a state again, the most recent in 2000 and 2008, decided Sunni Arab countries that it was good for them to incorporate Israel into their alliance instead of hitting the Palestinian drum regularly.
In most cases, it did not mean hooks and kisses between Israelis and Arabs – not even with Egypt and Jordan, the first two Arab countries to sign full peace treaties with Israel decades ago.
Such love-dovey love was no longer a goal, if it ever was. The reformed Middle East was a place of interests and alliances based on practical politics.
By rejecting Israel’s peace offers and then cursing Arab nations that were warming up to Israel, the Palestinians had put themselves on the wrong side, in terms of Sunni Arab nations.
The Palestinians were no longer needed as a faux issue to distract Arab people from their real problems – the Palestinians had become part of the problem.
Palestinian Authority security forces near the West Bank city of Nablus
(Photo: AFP)
Both attack forces quickly interrupted the rulers in the West Bank and Gaza and set up military governments. Instead of a peaceful end to decades of Israeli occupation and instead of the independent state’s rejection of the Palestinians, the Palestinians were now opposing the ruthless military rule of the Arab “brothers” – a ban on demonstrations, ban strikes, ban Israeli “fights,” and start-up rape, ask questions — later.
For Israel, however, the day-to-day change was minimal, with the loss of a Palestinian worker who would not cross the new border, at least at the beginning, and a sad reset. a few thousand Israelis from the West Bank into Israel right. Other than those who oppose Israel’s professional haters, no one paid attention to them. The conflict between Iran and Saudi was much more important.
The main practical change for Israel was the use of weapons.
Along with the two-pronged attack, and in coordination with their Arab allies, the Israeli army withdrew from the West Bank after decades of costly and bloody occupation. Instead, the Israeli army would focus on its activities in the new alliance – monitoring Iran and its allies, seizing in the form of advanced weapons and informing the allied forces.
IDF forces on the Gaza Strip
(Photo: IDF Speaker Unit)
Okay, that was “fun.” Could it really happen?
This may not be as described here. But yes, there are signs of maritime change in the Arab world when it comes to both Israel and the Palestinians.
Within days of the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain signing peace agreements with Israel, Saudi Arabia began targeting harsh criticism at the Palestinian presidency.
It is the only Saudi Arabia to support the Arab Peace Campaign in 2002, which basically said that Israel must hand over all disputed areas to Syria and the Palestinians, and then the world would Arab peace with Israel. The current trend is the other way around – Arab countries side with Israel despite the unbelievable Palestinian cause.
Here ‘s what’s new in the new Middle East: After the Arab Spring began a process of political change in the region, largely due to its failure – a new generation of leaders recognizes that ideology alone is not enough. In a difficult world, interests matter more.
Israel has been understanding, both officially and militarily, for decades. His friendship with Egypt and Jordan is called “cold peace.” They are anything but cold. The three countries co-operate on many levels, but it is appropriate for them to keep them out of their heads for domestic reasons.
Just as Arab countries have aroused anti-Semitism and Israel’s hatred for domestic politics, so Israeli leaders have reaped electoral benefits from keeping the fear of enemies nearby. If that time of impractical fear ends with the new regional alliances, Israel is the real winner here.