EVEN AL HA’ARETZ NOTICES…CRACKS IN THE ANTI ISRAEL ARAB WALL
http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.665588
The Arab world’s anti-Israeli front is crumbling By Moshe Arens
For many Arab countries, averting the mortal dangers posed by ISIS and
a nuclear Iran has become more important than backing the Palestinian
cause.
What is generally referred to as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has,
in effect, been over the years, a three-dimensional conflict
involving, in addition to the Palestinians, also the Arab world and
the Muslim world. Hostility to Israel has been the one unifying factor
in the Arab and Muslim world, which overcame disagreements on other
matters between the constituent members. Since the founding of the
Palestine Liberation Organization in 1964, the Palestinian issue has
served as the linchpin around which hostility to Israel has been built
and unity maintained.
Israel’s existence was endangered three times — in 1948, 1967, and
1973 — by the combined attacks of Arab armies, which enjoyed the
support of the entire Muslim world. Although the Israel Defense Forces
brilliant victory in the Yom Kippur War of 1973 has served as a
deterrent against further attempts by Arab armies to attack Israel,
the continued hostility of the Arab and Muslim world toward Israel has
been demonstrated by their support for terrorist activities against
Israel and their backing of anti-Israeli motions at international
forums like the United Nations.
But there is a change in the wind as far as the Arab world is
concerned. For some Arab rulers greater enemies than Israel have
appeared in recent years. Iran, reaching out for nuclear weapons,
Al-Qaida, the Islamic State (also known as ISIS and ISIL), Hamas, and
assorted Arab terrorist groups, are aiming for the jugular of the
ruling classes in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt. They are a mortal
danger to them, the kind of danger that Israel never constituted.
Averting this danger is far more important to them than backing the
Palestinian cause. From this new perspective, in the eyes of these
Arab rulers Israel is beginning to look not like an enemy, but rather
like a potential ally.
An Iranian nuclear bomb scares the wits out of them. They see little
future for themselves in a Middle East dominated by an Iran with
nuclear weapons in its arsenal. Most threatened is the Saudi ruling
class who are likely to be the first in line to be toppled as Iranian
influence grows. They surely must have quietly applauded Benjamin
Netanyahu as he appeared in front of both Houses of the U.S. Congress
in March to make the case against a nuclear armed Iran. The Israeli
opposition may have criticized him, but the Saudis were surely on his
side.
In the meantime, armed Islamic State terrorist gangs are knocking on
Jordan’s door in the north. It is not hard to guess whose head is
going to be severed first if they succeed in reaching Amman. Is it any
wonder that King Abdullah II looks to Jerusalem for help if worse
comes to worst. Although he repeats almost daily his support for the
establishment of a Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria, he knows
full well that it would only be a matter of time until such a state
would be taken over by Islamic State terrorists, or Hamas, and he
would find enemies knocking at his door in the West as well. The
establishment of such a Palestinian state on his western border is
something he is not likely to welcome.
In Egypt, beset by Islamic terrorists in Sinai and in the streets of
Cairo, ruler Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi has declared all out war against
them. At this time that seems to take precedence over all else,
including his support for the Palestinian cause. Israel’s agreement to
allow Egyptian army units to enter into eastern Sinai, a deviation of
the provisions of the Israel-Egyptian peace treaty of 1979, is a clear
indication of the commonality of interests between Egypt, the largest
Arab country, and Israel.
The Arab anti-Israel front which existed for over 60 years is in the
process of disintegrating. The rulers of major Arab countries are
finding shared interests with the State of Israel. Support for the
establishment of a Palestinian state may continue to exist in
Washington, Brussels, and at the UN, and among the Israeli opposition,
but it is losing support in much of the Arab world. Israel has enemies
in the Middle East but it is also gaining friends in the Middle East.
These friends may prefer to meet their Israeli counterparts in back
alleys, but you can be sure that these meetings are taking place with
increasing frequency.
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