A New Horizon

 As the world battles Covid-19, and Israel was seeing a startling 10% infection rate of those 

 

(Left,Bahrain FM Abdullanif al-Zayani, Israeli PM Netanyahu, US President Trump, UAE FM Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan on White House Lawn, Washington D.C.) (Hebrew text at bottom of the page””Ceremony: Rockets over Ashdod and Ashkelon)

tested, with a record 5523 infections in a 24-hour period, and 1137 deaths, a new horizon, barely discussed in the US press, a brief mention in the New York Times, was reached between Israel and some of her Arab neighbors yesterday when the United Arab Emirates signed a peace accord with Israel on the White House lawn in Washington, D.C.  agreeing to normalize relations and establish diplomatic ties. While both Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump were at the signing, according to pundits, these accords were a long time in the making.

(Neither Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum , PM of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, nor Hamad bin Isa bin Salman al-Khalifa, King of Bahrain, attended the ceremony sending their foreign ministers instead. PM Netanyahu did not include his FM Gabi Ashkenazi in the entourage traveling to the US).

Ehud Yaari, veteran political commentator now with Channel 12 news, said that this was an agreement between countries not individuals. Between Israel and the UAE not between Prime Minister Netanyahu and the UAE Foreign Minister who signed the accords. Israel also signed an understanding of agreement with Bahrain.

Yaari said this was a historic development in the history of the Middle East. Israel was now reaching a level of acceptance with her Arab neighbors. Other analysts said that this agreement bypassed the Palestinians demands to first have a state before any Arab nations would accept Israel’s legitimacy.

Both President Trump and Israel’s PM Netanyahu took credit for this historic agreement.

However, speaking on Israel Radio’s Reshet Bet, Yitzchak ‘Bougie’ Herzog, former head of Israel’s Labor Party, said that when he was running the Labor Party he met with the heads of Bahrain and the UAE and other moderate Arab countries, all Sunni, enemies of Iran’s Shiite branch of Islam, all of whom expressed a willingness to sign a peace agreement with Israel. Herzog said that Britain’s former prime minister Tony Blair had been the conduit between Israel and the Arab nations.

On Tuesday, according to the Times of Israel, Blair said he understands Ramallah’s objection to the deals, but believes that “in time, the Palestinian people will understand that it is only by radically changing strategy that the legitimate aspirations for a viable Palestinian state can be realized.”

Yaari confirmed these claims and said that Israel has had unofficial relations with moderate Arab countries for years. It is well known in Israel that Israeli hospitals have treated Arab leaders who have no official ties to Israel.

However, just as the agreements were being signed on the White House lawn, Hamas fired rockets from Gaza to protest the new peace agreements. The rockets fell on the Israeli cities of Ashkelon and Ashdod injuring two Israelis, one lightly, one still in serious condition. Hamas also sent another volley of rockets into southern Israel on Wednesday morning. The Palestinians reportedly view the agreements as a betrayal by the UAE and Bahrain.

The editor of Jerusalem Magazine received a letter from a friend asking for a comment on an article written by Dr. Philip Giraldi, executive director of the Council for National Interest, that had a headline “Democrats Go All-Out for Israel: Joe is a Zionist and Kamala panders to Jewish donors.” The letter took the position of the “progressives” in the Democratic party who lambasted Biden for, essentially, being a lackey of Israel, and Kamala Harris, who is married to a Jewish man, no better. Dr. Giraldi also called for the US to curtail aid to Israel and claims Israel is out to destroy the Palestinians.

In reply, Jerusalem Magazine’s editor wrote:

“1.) Isolationism didn’t work with Europe in the 20’s-late 30’s. Won’t work now. Bin Laden didn’t attack the Twin Towers because of Israel. With a powerful ally in the Middle East to prevent fundamentalists from sweeping over the moderate and liberal countries the USA can avoid a larger confrontation.

2. BDS was started by a Palestinian to further Palestinian aspirations. A Palestinian state would be a good thing but no Palestinian leader will step up and make and implement a peace agreement. Sources in the UAE and Bahrain have reportedly said the Palestinians have been obdurate for too long and are obstacles to Peace. Those against the recent Peace treaty with the UAE are countries like Iran and Qatar both fundamentalists, and Turkey, one of the main donors and supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood. And Russia’s Putin for his own ambition to make Russia a superpower once again. Would liberals want this axis of evil to stand up and take over the Middle East with Islamic fundamentalism running rampant? With Iran a nuclear power? I think this anti-Israel bias is short-sighted.
If Turkey and Qatar can support Islamic fundamentalists why can’t Saban support Israel? (Giraldi claimed that Billionaire Chaim Saban, who was born in Israel, had an inordinate influence over US policies.) The Middle East is undergoing a transformation. Other Arab countries are about to recognize Israel’s existence as a nation and a neighbor. The Progressive Democrats are singing an antiquated song. The Palestinians have just been made irrelevant by their obduracy. They still have the opportunity to get a State but recognizing Israel’s right to exist would be a good first step.

3.) Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have the right idea. Debbie Wasserman Shultz, Bernie Sanders and other progressives are correct in the necessity for more social programs, health initiates and general equality for the poorer sectors of the USA, but in Foreign Policy the are misguided by others. Dr. Giraldi made a few interesting points but ultimately offered nothing new. Same song sung by the SDS back in the 60’s. And the Soviets who once Ben Gurion until he refused to make Israel a Soviet satellite in ‘48.

Old Communist party line. Hasn’t changed.

While I agree that there should be universal health care and support other progressive platforms when it comes to israel I’m afraid the progressives don’t have a clue what’s really at stake. In my opinion nothing less than the future of the free world.”

In Israel the peace accords made headlines and the entire signing ceremony was broadcast live on every tv station. Credit was given to PM Netanyahu and US President Trump for bringing the parties to the table. The quid pro quo, according to analysts, was Israel’s freeze of settlements in the West Bank, and allowing the UAE to receive advanced F-35 jet fighters, as well as other security measures, and advanced medical technology. Pundits say that both the UAE and Bahrain, as well as other Arab countries who are expected to also sign agreements with Israel, are seeking Israel’s backing against any Iranian aggression. Especially since the US has announced they are pulling troops out of the region. These Arab states are frightened by Iran and hope an alliance with Israel will dissuade Iran from any hostilities. Time will tell.

Meanwhile, as the Jewish High Holidays approach this weekend, the health ministry announced moves to try to stop the spread of Covid-19 across the country. Schools were closed for the next three weeks. As were restaurants, bars, and gyms. Synagogues were limited to 20 people outside and 10 inside, and all had to wear masks and keep a social distance. Residents were restricted to no more than 500 meters from their homes. Fines from $125 and up would be issued to those caught breaking the regulations.

This would be a completely different Rosh Hashana (Jewish New Year) than nearly any other. “Israel is at war,” said one observer. “In war everything is different. In this war rather than bullets we have microbes.” Dr. Israela Hirsch, a Jewish-based Ophthalmologist said, “The microbes are worse.”

With 167,000 cases and counting, with 18,135 cases per million, compared the the international average of 3824,  Israel has no  choice but to take drastic steps.

And the Peace accords, that coincidently fit in with President Trumps election campaign, and beleaguered PM Netanyahu’s legal troubles, as one man in the Israeli Arab town of Nazareth said, when asked about the UAE, Bahrain peace accords, “Who cares. We’ve got Covid-19 here, that’s where the government’s focus should be, not on some accord.” On that account, neither PM Netanyahu, nor President Trump have proved to be very good generals.