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Israel and the Arab World; As Arab States Warm to Israel, the Palestinians Feel Neglected

(Economist) Israel's warmer relations with Egypt are a sign of a broader rapprochement with the Arab world. Mr Netanyahu may be stretching things when he says that Arab leaders now see the Jewish state as an ally, but their priorities, such as countering Iran and combating Islamic terrorism, are increasingly aligned. The shift has left the Palestinians, whose fate once topped the Arab agenda, feeling abandoned. A different sense of betrayal has helped to bring the Israelis and Arabs closer. Barack Obama's eagerness to pull America back from the Middle East, and his dealings with Iran, resulting in a nuclear accord signed last year, alarmed Israel and the Arab states in equal measure. In April, the Israeli army's deputy chief of staff spoke of an "unprecedented" level of intelligence-sharing between the countries. Israeli drones have been allowed to fire on insurgents in Sinai, where fighters loyal to the Islamic State (IS) have tormented the Egyptian army. Since taking office in 2014, not only has Sisi closed Egypt's border with Gaza, he has flooded the smuggling tunnels beneath it in order to stop the flow of weapons. Some Palestinians worry that Arab states are letting Israel upend the Arab Peace Initiative, which calls for it to withdraw from the West Bank and Gaza and agree to a "just settlement" for Palestinian refugees in return for recognition of Israel. This has contributed to a more general sense of unease among the Palestinians. Officials in other parts of the Arab world talk more about Iran's meddling, the wars in Syria, Iraq and Yemen, and their own domestic economic and political troubles. Such issues seem more pressing to their people. And besides, many Arabs are resigned to the stalemate in the peace process. Netanyahu appears intransigent; Palestinian leaders are seen as divided, ineffective and corrupt.
2016-07-22 00:00:00
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