Sunni monarchies, led by Saudi Arabia, increasingly see the Jewish state as a partner in a common struggle against Shiite Iran
Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (second from left), who wants a more vigorous response to Iran, at a meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis, April 19, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
[FONT=&]By Yaroslav Trofimov
May 5, 2017 1:10 p.m. ET
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[FONT=&]For decades, rejection of Israelsometimes mixed with outright anti-Semitismhas been a defining theme of Arab politics, uniting bickering countries against a common foe.[/FONT]
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Former Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, a Muslim Brotherhood leader who was deposed in a 2013 coup, had gone on TV three years earlier to brand Jews as descendants of apes and pigs. In 1988, the Palestinian militant group Hamas adopted a covenant that cited the notorious anti-Semitic forgery known as the Protocols of the Elders of Zion as proof of a global Jewish conspiracy.
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[FONT=&]But attitudes are beginning to change in some parts of the Arab world. Mohammad bin Abdul Karim al-Issa, the secretary-general of the Muslim World League, a Saudi-based global organization that has been accused of spreading extremism, recently pointed to a lesson in coexistence from Islams past. The neighbor of the Prophet [Muhammad] was a Jew, and when that Jew was ill, the Prophet visited him and gave him kind words, said Mr. al-Issa, who is also a former Saudi minister of justice. The hard-liners dont wish to know that.
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[FONT=&]This new tone toward Jewsand, to a lesser degree, Israelis becoming particularly prominent in the Gulf states, led by Saudi Arabia. For these wealthy Sunni monarchies, it is Shiite and Persian Iran that poses the most pressing current threat to their interests. They view the Jewish statea foe of the regime in Tehran and its regional proxies, including Lebanons Hezbollah militiaas their de facto ally.[/FONT]
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This unlikely partnership has gathered steam with the rise of Saudi Arabias new deputy crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, the architect of the Yemen war, who wants a more vigorous response to Iran. And it has received new momentum since the election of Donald Trump, the preferred candidate of Israel and the Gulf states. The White House said Thursday that Mr. Trumps first foreign trip as president will feature stops in both Israel and Saudi Arabia.[/FONT]
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We have the same enemy, the same threat, Saudi Maj. Gen. Ahmed Asiri, now the kingdoms deputy intelligence chief, said in February. And we are both close allies of the Americans.[/FONT]
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Pressure from the Gulfparticularly from Hamass longtime backer Qatarplayed a key role in the Palestinian groups decision Monday to remove slurs against Jews from its revised charter. Israel scoffed at the changes, noting that Hamas retained its goal of liberating all of historic Palestinewhich would mean eradicating the Jewish state.
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[FONT=&]Still, some Israeli officials have praised the Gulf monarchies shift on Hamas. Most of [Hamass] support came from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf in the past, said Ayoob Kara, a lawmaker from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus Likud Party and the only Arab minister in Israels cabinet. Now the Saudi Arabian coalition understands more and more that Hamas is an extremist organization and that extremism and terror are also against them, not just against Israel.[/FONT]
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The Gulf states also shape opinion across the Arab world: Most of the influential TV news channels and pan-Arab newspapers are owned by Saudis, Qatari or Emiratis. On TV, we no longer hear the usual words Israeli aggression. Now, its mostly about the Persian aggression, said Ahmad al-Ibrahim, a Saudi businessman and political analyst.[/FONT]
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Sympathy for the Palestinian cause and rejection of Israel still run deep in the region, particularly in countries far from Iran that dont view it as much of a threat. Such feelings are widespread among the people of the Gulf states too, so most of the recent cooperation with Israelfocusing on intelligence and security mattershas occurred in secret.
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[FONT=&]But some small steps have been public. An unofficial Saudi delegation, led by a retired general, visited Jerusalem last year and met with Israeli officials. The United Arab Emirates has permitted a small Israeli mission to the U.N.s renewable-energy agency, based in Abu Dhabi, and Emirati officials are weighing whether to allow low-key Israeli participation in the 2020 Dubai World Expo.[/FONT]
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Such an erosion of Arab hostility to Israel rattles many Palestinians. I am in favor of normalizing between Israel and all Arab countriesone minute after an independent Palestinian state is established, said Ayman Odeh, the head of the Arab bloc in Israels parliament. Agreements between Israel and Arab countries before the Palestinian issue is solved will weaken the Palestinian cause.[/FONT]
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Many in the Gulf shrug at such complaints. Saudi Arabia has always wanted to support the Palestinian cause. It negotiated on their behalf, it spent a lot of money on their behalf, said Mr. Ibrahim. But unfortunately, the Palestinian leaders do not want to get along and are not working for their own people. You cannot just say no to everything.
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[FONT=&]Margherita Stancati contributed to this article. [/FONT][FONT=&]Write to Yaroslav Trofimov at [email protected][/FONT]
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[/FONT]https://www.wsj.com/articles/for-arab-gulf-states-israel-is-emerging-as-an-ally-1494004246?mod=e2tw
so how long before Israel joins ASWJ, JUI-S, JuD etc in the Difa e Haramain Conference?
rehzano ne jo rehzani ki thi, rahbaro ne bhi kya kami ki thi :lol:
Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (second from left), who wants a more vigorous response to Iran, at a meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis, April 19, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
[FONT=&]By Yaroslav Trofimov
May 5, 2017 1:10 p.m. ET
[/FONT]
[FONT=&]For decades, rejection of Israelsometimes mixed with outright anti-Semitismhas been a defining theme of Arab politics, uniting bickering countries against a common foe.[/FONT]
[FONT=&]
Former Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, a Muslim Brotherhood leader who was deposed in a 2013 coup, had gone on TV three years earlier to brand Jews as descendants of apes and pigs. In 1988, the Palestinian militant group Hamas adopted a covenant that cited the notorious anti-Semitic forgery known as the Protocols of the Elders of Zion as proof of a global Jewish conspiracy.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&]But attitudes are beginning to change in some parts of the Arab world. Mohammad bin Abdul Karim al-Issa, the secretary-general of the Muslim World League, a Saudi-based global organization that has been accused of spreading extremism, recently pointed to a lesson in coexistence from Islams past. The neighbor of the Prophet [Muhammad] was a Jew, and when that Jew was ill, the Prophet visited him and gave him kind words, said Mr. al-Issa, who is also a former Saudi minister of justice. The hard-liners dont wish to know that.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&]This new tone toward Jewsand, to a lesser degree, Israelis becoming particularly prominent in the Gulf states, led by Saudi Arabia. For these wealthy Sunni monarchies, it is Shiite and Persian Iran that poses the most pressing current threat to their interests. They view the Jewish statea foe of the regime in Tehran and its regional proxies, including Lebanons Hezbollah militiaas their de facto ally.[/FONT]
[FONT=&]
This unlikely partnership has gathered steam with the rise of Saudi Arabias new deputy crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, the architect of the Yemen war, who wants a more vigorous response to Iran. And it has received new momentum since the election of Donald Trump, the preferred candidate of Israel and the Gulf states. The White House said Thursday that Mr. Trumps first foreign trip as president will feature stops in both Israel and Saudi Arabia.[/FONT]
[FONT=&]
We have the same enemy, the same threat, Saudi Maj. Gen. Ahmed Asiri, now the kingdoms deputy intelligence chief, said in February. And we are both close allies of the Americans.[/FONT]
[FONT=&]
Pressure from the Gulfparticularly from Hamass longtime backer Qatarplayed a key role in the Palestinian groups decision Monday to remove slurs against Jews from its revised charter. Israel scoffed at the changes, noting that Hamas retained its goal of liberating all of historic Palestinewhich would mean eradicating the Jewish state.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&]Still, some Israeli officials have praised the Gulf monarchies shift on Hamas. Most of [Hamass] support came from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf in the past, said Ayoob Kara, a lawmaker from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus Likud Party and the only Arab minister in Israels cabinet. Now the Saudi Arabian coalition understands more and more that Hamas is an extremist organization and that extremism and terror are also against them, not just against Israel.[/FONT]
[FONT=&]
The Gulf states also shape opinion across the Arab world: Most of the influential TV news channels and pan-Arab newspapers are owned by Saudis, Qatari or Emiratis. On TV, we no longer hear the usual words Israeli aggression. Now, its mostly about the Persian aggression, said Ahmad al-Ibrahim, a Saudi businessman and political analyst.[/FONT]
[FONT=&]
Sympathy for the Palestinian cause and rejection of Israel still run deep in the region, particularly in countries far from Iran that dont view it as much of a threat. Such feelings are widespread among the people of the Gulf states too, so most of the recent cooperation with Israelfocusing on intelligence and security mattershas occurred in secret.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&]But some small steps have been public. An unofficial Saudi delegation, led by a retired general, visited Jerusalem last year and met with Israeli officials. The United Arab Emirates has permitted a small Israeli mission to the U.N.s renewable-energy agency, based in Abu Dhabi, and Emirati officials are weighing whether to allow low-key Israeli participation in the 2020 Dubai World Expo.[/FONT]
[FONT=&]
Such an erosion of Arab hostility to Israel rattles many Palestinians. I am in favor of normalizing between Israel and all Arab countriesone minute after an independent Palestinian state is established, said Ayman Odeh, the head of the Arab bloc in Israels parliament. Agreements between Israel and Arab countries before the Palestinian issue is solved will weaken the Palestinian cause.[/FONT]
[FONT=&]
Many in the Gulf shrug at such complaints. Saudi Arabia has always wanted to support the Palestinian cause. It negotiated on their behalf, it spent a lot of money on their behalf, said Mr. Ibrahim. But unfortunately, the Palestinian leaders do not want to get along and are not working for their own people. You cannot just say no to everything.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&]Margherita Stancati contributed to this article. [/FONT][FONT=&]Write to Yaroslav Trofimov at [email protected][/FONT]
[FONT=&]
[/FONT]https://www.wsj.com/articles/for-arab-gulf-states-israel-is-emerging-as-an-ally-1494004246?mod=e2tw
so how long before Israel joins ASWJ, JUI-S, JuD etc in the Difa e Haramain Conference?
rehzano ne jo rehzani ki thi, rahbaro ne bhi kya kami ki thi :lol:
