The Algemeiner - by Roie Yellinek – 26-08-2019
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Though it is largely
motivated by mutual concerns about surging Iranian imperialism, the
strengthening of Israel’s relationship with the Cooperation Council for the
Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) monarchies could ultimately help reignite the
stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
Since the
establishment of the State of Israel, most Arab states have refused to grant it
any form of recognition. It was not until March 1979 that Egypt breached this
rejectionist wall by signing a peace treaty with the Jewish state, with Jordan
following suit in 1994. The rest of the Arab world remained uniformly hostile
to the idea of any warming of relations with Israel.
Recent events
indicate, however, that this monolithic hostility may be on the wane.
Developments over the past year suggest that there may be a future in which
Arab states and Israel can engage in diplomatic and security cooperation, and
reduce their mutual animosity.
Saudi Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), in a meeting with leaders of Jewish communities in
the US in April, said in response to Hamas’ year-long violent clashes along the
Gaza-Israel border fence: “The Palestinians need to accept [Trump’s] proposal
or stop complaining.” Later, in an interview in The Atlantic, he acknowledged
the right of the Jewish people to their own country and land.
In May, cyclist
teams from Bahrain and the UAE participated in the Giro d’Italia cycling
competition, which was held in Israel. In July, an Israeli delegation
participated in UNESCO’s annual international conference in Bahrain. Last
October, Minister of Culture and Sport Miri Regev visited Abu Dhabi for the
Grand Slam World Tour. Then, Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu visited Muscat,
the capital of Oman.
The day after
Netanyahu’s visit, Omani Minister of Foreign Affairs called on GCC members to
recognize Israel. On November 6, Israeli Minister of Intelligence and Transportation
Yisrael Katz visited Oman to attend an international conference on
transportation, and was greeted with a heavily publicized formal diplomatic
greeting. In December, Israel hosted a delegation of 30 Muslim clerics from
Bahrain to participate in religious discourse. Last year also saw the
establishment of Dubai’s first synagogue.
The Israeli
delegation’s participation in UNESCO’s annual international conference in
Bahrain took place after Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa gave a speech
at the Simon Wiesenthal Center, in which he condemned the Arab boycott of
Israel and publicly declared that Bahrain’s citizens are allowed to visit
Israel. Bahrain’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Khalid bin Ahmed al-Khalifa,
tweeted that Israel has the right to protect itself after Iran’s violation of
the local status quo. These statements by prominent Arab figures about Israel
are nearly unprecedented.
The visit in October
by Netanyahu and the director of the Mossad to Muscat. The last time an Israeli
premier publicly met with a leader of an Arab country that does not maintain
formal ties with Israel was in April 1994, when Yitzhak Rabin met with Qaboos.
Netanyahu’s visit was lauded by Saudi Arabia, Oman’s highly influential
neighbor. Riyadh’s role in coordinating the visit lent it historical
significance.
The rapprochement
developing between Israel and the GCC states has prompted a rare unity between
Hamas and Fatah, with both making official statements rejecting any
rapprochement until their demands from the international community and Israel
are fully met.
The refusal of some
GCC leaders to allow the state of Israeli-Palestinian relations to dictate when
relations with Israel should move forward is first and foremost a corollary of
Iran’s rising security threat to the GCC (and, of course, to Israel). Still,
both the Palestinians and the Israelis may eventually benefit from this rapidly
warming relationship.
Concern over the
Iranian threat has been a core element of relations between Israel and the GCC
for many years; indeed, it was discussed by Qaboos and Rabin when they met in
1994. Iran is now even more aggressively offensive vis-à-vis Israel, the US,
and neighboring Arab states, as can be seen in its engagements in Iraq, Syria,
Lebanon, and Yemen via paramilitary militias. To face this challenge and defend
themselves, Iran’s neighbors seek to cooperate more closely.
Cooperation among
the US, Israel, and the GCC monarchies against Tehran’s actions includes
several elements: condemning Iran in the international arena and institutions,
intelligence sharing, tracking economic activity, and coordinating other
confidential security aspects.
It is important to
recall that even if GCC leaders are positive about improving ties with Israel
and have decided the Palestinian problem is no longer a roadblock, their local
populations still feel animosity toward Israel. Public opinion is not yet
interested in changing the relationship. One indicator of that resistance to
change can be seen in an informal survey conducted by the Israel Foreign
Ministry, which showed that public opinion in the Arab world was more hostile
toward Israel during the last cycle of military escalation in Gaza than in
similar previous conflagrations.
It seems that
without any progress (or even a semblance of progress) in the dialogue between
Israel and the Palestinians, the GCC states and Israel will be unable to
establish official ties. The international community should assist the GCC and
Israel in expanding their cooperation against Iranian imperialism, and then use
the budding relationship to help the Palestinians and Israelis find a solution.
The most recent
development in the Israel-GCC interface was the economic summit that took place
on June 25-26 in Manama, the capital of Bahrain. The summit’s main object was
to launch the economic aspect of President Trump’s “Deal of the Century,” and
its location was chosen with care so as to send the message that the
cooperation among the US, the Gulf states, and Israel is strong, and that the
sides are all working toward closer collaboration.
The summit could
only take place after the granting of Saudi approval, as the kingdom is
Bahrain’s most important patron. The summit signaled to the Palestinians that
assistance greater than that received from Iran and/or Qatar will only be given
to them if they adopt the peace plan. Riyadh wants to be seen, both internally
and externally, as a power that is working for the benefit of its Sunni
Palestinian brethren and in opposition to Shiite Iran and the Qataris, who have
been funding Hamas on a monthly basis for the past year.
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