Post by Daniel on May 15, 2015 12:04:47 GMT -5
With ‘best allies’ like these, who needs enemies?
By Raphael Ahren May 15, 2015
Forget the United States of America. Move over, Canada, Australia and Germany. The days when those countries were considered Israel’s closest friends are over. The Jewish state’s new best buddies are Egypt and Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
At least that’s the impression one could get if one listened carefully to a recent speech by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Our best allies actually these days are some of our Arab neighbors, because they know we face a common threat,” Netanyahu said Tuesday at a conference in Jerusalem.
The idea he referred to is not new: Israel and the so-called moderate Sunni Arab states have a common foe in Iran, and the enemy of my worst enemy must be my best friend.
In recent days, Netanyahu has repeatedly talked about this convergence of interests, suggesting that it could lead to a regional peace agreement. The Gulf states’ declared unhappiness with the US administration over its rapprochement with Iran further fuels the prime minister’s declared hopes of enhanced cooperation with the Arab world.
“We’ve made peace with two of our Arab neighbors, but there are new forces in the region,” the prime minister told German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen on Monday. “They are threatening not only us, but also threatening of course our Arab neighbors with whom we’ve made peace. This creates the opportunity to make other alliances with other Arab states.”
continue reading
www.timesofisrael.com/with-best-allies-like-these-who-needs-enemies/
By Raphael Ahren May 15, 2015
Forget the United States of America. Move over, Canada, Australia and Germany. The days when those countries were considered Israel’s closest friends are over. The Jewish state’s new best buddies are Egypt and Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
At least that’s the impression one could get if one listened carefully to a recent speech by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Our best allies actually these days are some of our Arab neighbors, because they know we face a common threat,” Netanyahu said Tuesday at a conference in Jerusalem.
The idea he referred to is not new: Israel and the so-called moderate Sunni Arab states have a common foe in Iran, and the enemy of my worst enemy must be my best friend.
In recent days, Netanyahu has repeatedly talked about this convergence of interests, suggesting that it could lead to a regional peace agreement. The Gulf states’ declared unhappiness with the US administration over its rapprochement with Iran further fuels the prime minister’s declared hopes of enhanced cooperation with the Arab world.
“We’ve made peace with two of our Arab neighbors, but there are new forces in the region,” the prime minister told German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen on Monday. “They are threatening not only us, but also threatening of course our Arab neighbors with whom we’ve made peace. This creates the opportunity to make other alliances with other Arab states.”
continue reading
www.timesofisrael.com/with-best-allies-like-these-who-needs-enemies/
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