Israel/Palestine
Related: About this forumIran was the ally Israel wanted. It got Saudi Arabia
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Part of this reversal of fortune can be seen in the numerous statements coming out of Turkey about rekindling ties with Israel. Turkeys President Reccep Tayyip Erdogan made criticism of Israel a key to his policy in the region since his AKP came to power 15 years ago. But after years of supporting Hamas in the Gaza Strip and making outrageous anti-Israel and even anti-Jewish statements, including a famous tirade against Shimon Peres in 2009 at Davos, he changed course on January 2. Israel needs a country like Turkey, we have to admit we need Israel, the Turkish leader said, on a flight home from, guess where? Saudi Arabia. Israel plays into this new charm offensive like a poor kid in the sandbox who begs to be picked second-to-last when sides are chosen for kick-ball.
The Saudi-led initiative has its pedigree. During the second intifada Saudi Arabia led a peace plan to grant Israel recognition in the region if Israel withdrew from the West Bank and Gaza. In June 2015 the Saudis also told Israelis at the Council on Foreign Relations in the US that Iran was a common enemy.
The courting of Israel comes against the backdrop of the rise and fall of IS in the region and the frustration of Sunni regimes with their inability to topple Bashar Assad in Syria. At the base of the Saudi worldview is an interest in using other actors to achieve the kingdoms goals in the region. In the 1980s that meant bankrolling Iraqs Saddam Hussein to fight Iran. In 1990 it meant asking the Americans to save it from Saddam when he got too big for his britches and invaded Kuwait. Every time the Saudis find themselves in trouble they sell their role in the region as guaranteeing stability. Bret Stephens bought into this in a column on January 19, noting that the US must stand by its historic Saudi ally lest they be tempted to continue freelancing their foreign policy in ways we might not like. This is the Saudi blackmail tactic; support us or the real extremists might emerge, not us moderate Wahhabis that only ban chess and such.
The Sunni Arab states that want Israel to help them confront Iran have proved incapable of doing so themselves. In Yemen the grand alliance of Saudi Arabia, the Gulf states and others, has relied on Columbian mercenaries, and King Salman of Saudi Arabia even asked Pakistan to send troops.
http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Iran-was-the-ally-Israel-wanted-It-got-Saudi-Arabia-442626
saidsimplesimon
(7,888 posts)Da'esh was created by, or is being funded and exploited by a few of our so-called allies. (names withheld to protect the innocent)
bemildred
(90,061 posts)Very interesting piece I thought.
The notion of the Kurds as a buttress against resurgent Iran was new, hadn't seen that idea before.
And he clarifies and confirms how the Yemen war is going.
I would not recommmend to Israel or the Kurds that they get in bed with the Sauds much more than they are already.
bemildred
(90,061 posts)Iranian President Hassan Rouhani flew to Italy on Monday at the start of his first official visit to Europe, looking to sign multi-billion dollar contracts to help to modernize Iran's economy after years of crippling financial sanctions.
Heading a 120-strong delegation of Iranian business leaders and ministers, Rouhani will spend two days in Rome before flying to France on Wednesday, hoping to burnish Tehran's international credentials at a time of turmoil across the Middle East.
While diplomacy will figure high on his agenda, trade ties are likely to dominate the headlines, with Iran announcing plans to buy more than 160 European planes, mainly from Airbus (AIRP.PA), on the eve of Rouhani's departure.
Officials in Rome said Italian firms were set to sign deals worth up to 17 billion euros ($18.4 billion) over the next two days, including in the energy, infrastructure and steel sectors.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-europe-rouhani-idUSKCN0V31DJ
Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)azurnoir
(45,850 posts)seems the author skirts the "enemy of my enemy is my friend" angle completely, or keep them busy fighting each other that way they aren't fighting .........., IS or Daesh has become the perfect catch all security excuse for Bibi to the degree that he's made noise alluding their existence prevents a Palestinian state because gosh who knows.
bemildred
(90,061 posts)He leaves lots of stuff out, and is Pollyanna-ish as you say, but then he is speculating about alternative history, and he is trying to sell his idea, so he doesn't want to arouse strong emotions.
I've seen the "Iran and Israel are natural allies" argument before, and I think it has merit, but various religious nuts and blowhards would have to be moved out of the way first on both sides if you want to get practical.
ISIS has become very handy, it's so useful to have something everybody can hate together.
bemildred
(90,061 posts)---
Israels problem was and remains the asymmetry between us and Iran. We dont have a border with Iran, but Iran has more than one border with us in Lebanon as well as in the northern Golan Heights. Irans prosperity will eventually reach Hezbollah, and with it comes advanced weaponry. The Sunni Hamas movement will also have difficulty resisting Irans advances when it comes calling with the promise of fat checks.
The Shiite axis in Syria that comprises Iran, Assad, and Hezbollah will apparently continue to control the most vital parts of the country the Damascus airport and the seaports of Latakia and Tartus.
In recent years, Israeli officials have been divided over what position to take in regards to the raging civil war in Syria. There are those who claim that Israel needs to be more active in trying to remove Assad and thus breaking the link that connects Tehran to Beirut. The prevailing view holds that Israel needs to continue watching developments from afar from an almost neutral standpoint. It should only intervene in instances where its vital interests are threatened. Any Israeli intervention in the Syria war will only complicate our situation.
Without Assad in the picture, Hezbollah would undoubtedly be a different organization. But past experience shows that any Israeli attempt to impose a ruler on a neighboring country only brought upon us more trouble. Israels quiet support for the Sunni blocs efforts to stop Iran will continue, even though there wont be a decisive knockout blow. All parties in the conflict are too strong to lose and too weak to win.
http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Analysis-With-emergence-of-a-new-Iran-Israel-needs-new-allies-442783