Israel must forge its own path in the Mideast

Analysis: New White House may be less forgiving of some Arab regimes' treatment of opponents and Jerusalem should avoid being linked to them; as such it should not have announced settlement construction just as Biden was taking office
Shimrit Meir|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
History is written by the victors and in the United States it is re-written every four or eight years.
  • Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter

  • Until just a few months ago, Donald Trump was perceived by many in the Middle East as the president who weakened Iran, eliminated Iran's top military commander, the regional scourge Qasem Soleimani, forged peace agreements between Israel and the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan, and elevated Israel's position to that of power broker for any Arab country wishing to improve ties with Washington.
    4 View gallery
    קאסם סולימאני סולימני מפקד כוח קודס משמרות המהפכה איראן
    קאסם סולימאני סולימני מפקד כוח קודס משמרות המהפכה איראן
    Iranian general Qasem Soleimani was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad in January 2020
    (Photo: MCT)
    But history is already being re-written. Iran, by increasing its uranium production to 20%, is dictating a narrative that states that Trump's withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear agreement was an historic mistake that must be reversed in order to prevent the Islamic Republic from obtaining nuclear capability. Now that mistake must be corrected.
    The close relations with the Trump administration, seen previously as a blessing, are now regarded as a curse.
    Israel is bring mentioned in the same breath with Saudi Arabia and UAE - both countries perceived as corrupt or soft on corruption. And that is not good company to be in.
    4 View gallery
    L-R: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and U.S. President Donald Trump at the Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology in Riyadh, May 2017
    L-R: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and U.S. President Donald Trump at the Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology in Riyadh, May 2017
    L-R: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and U.S. President Donald Trump at the Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology in Riyadh, May 2017
    (Photo: AP / Saudi Press Agency)
    Some Arab governments may find a much cooler reception in Washington under the new American leadership because of their poor record on dealing with political opponents and for their conduct in the war in Yemen. This means the new friendships forged during the previous administration will be tested.
    Israel has its own priorities when it comes to Iran, first and foremost its nuclear program, while the Arab states are more concerned with imminent dangers such as the Islamic Republic's missile capabilities.
    Could an Israeli–Arab coalition be forged that will present mutually agreed positions and red lines to the Americans? It is doubtful.
    Israel, despite being delighted with the newly signed agreements in the region, is not keen on supplying its new friends with gratis lobbying services in Washington. They can look after themselves and there can be no advantage to Jerusalem being painted with the same brush as controversial regimes.
    If Israel does insist on providing such services to its new partners, it should at least demand a unified message on Iran in return.
    The Arab leaders, meanwhile, are eager for that coveted photo op with the new American president.
    Egypt on Wednesday renewed diplomatic ties with Qatar that were severed in 2017 after a coalition of Sunni states accused Doha of cooperation with Iran.
    4 View gallery
    Netanyahu and Sisi at the UN General Assembly in Sept. 2018
    Netanyahu and Sisi at the UN General Assembly in Sept. 2018
    Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi meeting in New York, Sept. 2018
    (Photo: GPO)
    Saudi Arabia is exploring ways to be of service in the Syrian conflict, and Jordan, which is better positioned than most, is eager to advance Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.
    The Palestinians for their part, aside from their glee over the end of the Trump era, doubt that Biden can deliver a better result for them.
    Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is determined to become an important player in the new political reality in the region, but not to the extent that he is willing to make good on his promise to hold elections next spring.
    Though the U.S. advocates for Palestinians elections to take place, Abbas is happy to make do with merely talking about them.
    4 View gallery
    An Israeli flag flutters near houses in the West Bank settlement of Otniel
    An Israeli flag flutters near houses in the West Bank settlement of Otniel
    An Israeli flag flutters near houses in the West Bank settlement of Otniel
    (Photo: Reuters)
    In Israel, politicians are bidding Trump farewell in emotional Twitter posts and in classic Israeli form are also presenting Biden with a welcome gift of more settlement construction.
    Many of them think their decision to build thousands of housing units in Jerusalem and the West Bank is a non-issue, barely an inconvenience.
    Although both Netanyahu and his defense minister and coalition partner Benny Gantz had months to advance any plans to build in East Jerusalem and the settlements, they opted to light a fire and create a crisis just as the new president moved into the White House.
    And now we are back in the new-old world of condemnations of Israel.
    8Comments
    add comment
    The commenter agrees to the privacy policy of Ynet News and agrees not to submit comments that violate the terms of use, including incitement, libel and expressions that exceed the accepted norms of freedom of speech.
    5.
    own path
    If Israel has to build its own path , why write that we should not build anything against the policies of the new Biden government. In itself the writer is making a joke about her own article title. So Israel cannot do its own PATH if it tries to continue building in Jerusalem?! Before writing such a weak article THINK what you are going to say!
    rodolfo m kohn| 01.26.21
    10
    add comment
    The commenter agrees to the privacy policy of Ynet News and agrees not to submit comments that violate the terms of use, including incitement, libel and expressions that exceed the accepted norms of freedom of speech.
    4.
    Building in J'lem & settlements is an internal Israeli issue
    not wider regional geopolitics, as the author implies. She is building castles in the air.
    Jake| 01.23.21
    70
    add comment
    The commenter agrees to the privacy policy of Ynet News and agrees not to submit comments that violate the terms of use, including incitement, libel and expressions that exceed the accepted norms of freedom of speech.
    3.
    Since decades is Israel on the wrong side of history.
    Since decades is Israel on the wrong side of history. Though not by it's own fault, fact is fact. The West conjured Hitler to power, organized Holocaust, whole Europe, USA included. were accomplices of the murder, direct and indirect. Only the liberation of Auschwitz by the Red Army gave the Jews, Israel a new chance of existence. For its survival Israel had to make a choice between USSR and the West, which saw in the Russian based communistic empire a rival, independently of the socio-economical construct. Today, after the fall of the socialistic experiment, Russia is back on stage as a young democracy, and the Western block can't find any other policy towards it except ugly incitement based on lies and defamation. Furthermore, as more the advantages are being lost the West accumulated over the last 5 centuries, which enabled it to conquer the world, the more the mask is being taken off exposing the ugly face. In regards to Iran, at first it was forced to a dictatorship by Wetern powers in 1953 by replacing elected government with the Shah, then the Ajatolas took over after spent their exile in UK, then change from cold to warm, from friend to foe, all about control of crude oil and, attention, nuclear power plants - but no, its not about the bomb, its about who will built and run the nuclear facilities, the Russians, who control the market due to its suffistticated knowhow now, or the USA, who is trying to get foot on this market again, using rocketeering techniques, dividing instead of uniting the nations in the region. Yes, its good that some Arab states are establishing relations with Israel. But if this movement is based on demonizing Iran and Russia, the joy for Israel will be short lasting. The next president of Russia may be less nostalgic towards Israel, but rather more pragmatic, and Russia will have soon reached a level of technological sovereignty again, which will trigger more decicive actions globaly to show to the US administration its place. China will be on board, and Europe will be not far away, since the elite in Washington has lost the scale in regards to it own abilities to push other major players around. It will be challenging for Israel to find the proper balance between the main players in the future. The change from Trump to Biden is a children's play in face of upcoming geopolitical events.
    Mr.Reason| 01.23.21
    817
    add comment
    The commenter agrees to the privacy policy of Ynet News and agrees not to submit comments that violate the terms of use, including incitement, libel and expressions that exceed the accepted norms of freedom of speech.
    Load more talkbacks
    ""