Israel and Sunni Arab powers finally display convergent interests The surprising cooperation, doors that might open to which Netanyahu referred in an address to the nation seems an allusion to key Sunni countries in the region. With IDF troops deployed differently in Gaza strip. Air strikes IDF and Gaza rocket fire continue. Once the fighting ends, Netanyahu would be more forthcoming toward PA President Mahmoud Abbas, realizing there is indeed a huge difference between Abbas and Hamas. The surprising cooperation and doors that might open to which Netanyahu in name of State Israel referred, seems an allusion to key Sunni countries in the region, particularly Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah issued a statement read out on Saudi television about the situation in Gaza. Incredibly, King Abdullah decried the “collective massacre” in Gaza, but did not pin it on Israel, describing Hamas rulers’ responsibility. He urged Muslim leaders in the world to unite against extremism, without blaming Israel, saying the extremists have “distorted the image of Islam with its purity and humanity and smeared it with all sorts of bad qualities by their actions, injustices and crimes”. The battle between Sunni Arabs and Israelis is no longer the most important issue on the table for key Arab governments as well as for Israel. That old conflict has been eclipsed by the new conflict between a resurgent Iran and the leading Sunni-Arab states.” Netanyahu and other Israeli spokesmen have been talking for months about how the ground-shaking changes in the Arab world have created a convergence of interests between Israel and some other states in the region that has never existed in the past. The current Egyptian government sees Hamas as an ally of the Muslim Brotherhood, and crushing the Muslim Brotherhood as thoroughly as possible is Egypt’s top priority. Egypt’s Saudi patrons feel the same way; the Muslim Brotherhood looks to the Saudis like a challenge to their claim to lead the forces of orthodox Sunnis – and Hamas in the past has been willing to ally itself with Saudi’s arch enemies in Syria and Iran. Israel is after much bigger game than Hamas in this war. Israel needed to win this campaign convincingly; Israel has been given a chance to audition for the role of a tacit ally of the Sunni-Arab world against both Sunni and Shia radicals; it doesn’t want to blow this chance and its desire to build its relations with neighboring Arab states may outweigh its concerns about annoying Europe or even the US. Weakening Hamas isn’t just an Israeli project: Riyadh and Cairo are rooting for the Gazan Hamas terrorists to lose as well. This strange new band of brothers is Israel’s Plan B alliance in case the US folds on Iran. The Saudis and their Egyptian allies also hate and fear Hezbollah; from an Israeli point of view a successful war against Hamas could be the first step in cooperative action against Hezbollah and, beyond it, Iran. Israel wants this war to go well, because it could pave the way to more effective cooperation with the most populous and wealthiest of the Arab states. By HERB KEINON
Posted on: Mon, 04 Aug 2014 11:08:44 +0000
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