The Palestinian-Israeli writer Emil Habibi coined the Arabic phrase “alfarg al-arabi,” which freely translates as “the Arab salvation wheel.” Whenever Israeli aggression toward the Palestinians encountered international condemnation, an Arab leader would make an extreme statement, and Israelis would cry out that the Arabs wanted to throw them into the sea, and everyone would forget that hundreds of thousands of Palestinians had already been expelled from Israel.
How the wheels turn. Instead of threats that serve Israeli aggression, the leaders of the Arab world now embrace their Israeli counterparts. Some people have been tempted to think that the inclusive attitude to Israel adopted by the Arab world would soften the hearts of policymakers here and push them toward reconciliation with the Palestinians, but Israel in fact understood things in a completely different way – that it has received a carte blanche to step up oppression of the Palestinians.
That’s what happened after the peace agreement with Egypt, and now that’s what’s happening in the wake of the Abraham Accords. The Palestinians are again being steamrolled by Israel.
See for example the operations in Gaza, the bloody raids on towns in the West Bank, and the pogroms conducted by the settlers against Palestinian villages. Blood and tears are the only fruits of peace that the Palestinians have tasted.
One can understand the enthusiasm in Israel for these peace agreements; as long as peace promises pleasure trips to Dubai, who can be bothered thinking about the difficulties of life in a refugee camp? Things have changed. The Arab regimes that signed up for the accords and Jewish leaders are no longer bound by democracy, and the concept of “separation of powers” is completely alien. Yariv Levin clones hold the wheels of power there, and it is no wonder that they, quietly of course, support the judicial overthrow in Israel.
At the same time that democratic nations are boycotting Israeli politicians and expressing their reservations over the judicial revolution, Israel’s new friends are reaching out in friendship to the forces of darkness here. We say to our democratic friends in Israel who are so enthusiastic about this peace: Don’t wait for these dictators to send representatives to the Kaplan protests. They are on the other side.
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The deterioration began when Itamar Ben Gvir was invited to an Independence Day party at the UAE embassy in Tel Aviv. Then there was the announcement that the Negev Forum of foreign ministers from Israel and Arab countries will meet next month in Rabat, Morocco. And as capital flees from Israel because of the judicial revolution, Israel and the UAE announced in April with great fanfare that the free trade agreement between them had been ratified. Last but not least, Transport Minister Miri Regev will visit Morocco this week. Business as usual. Dictatorships of the Middle East unite.
The jewel in the crown is the talk of normalization with Saudi Arabia. This step would be a challenge to opponents of the judicial coup: They must not fall into the Saudi web of charm. In the meantime, some have already been caught up in that web. Israeli journalist Attila Somfalvi, one of Benjamin Netanyahu’s most fervent critics, tweeted: “If Netanyahu signs a peace agreement with Saudi Arabia, he should get the Nobel Prize.” I would assume that not only opinion makers will adopt similar positions, but that we can also expect a shameful parade of support from opposition leaders, just as happened during the recent assault on Gaza.
If the Israeli public, especially the section that has fought against the judicial upheaval, doesn’t understand that foreign and domestic policies are intertwined, it will reach erroneous conclusions and praise Netanyahu on the one hand while trying to bring him down on the other. The reasons for this are rooted in deep-seated nationalism.
It is only on domestic issues that we see disputes here; when it comes to foreign affairs, be it peace agreements or wars, there is a consensus, and that benefits only the right. Netanyahu will dismantle Israeli democracy and destroy statism, but then finally he will receive public support when he launches a war, or alternatively signs a peace agreement with another Arab regime.
The leaders of the Arab world are strengthening the Israeli right, and we must change our view of them.
Arab Leaders Are Emboldening the Israeli Right
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31.05.2023
The Palestinian-Israeli writer Emil Habibi coined the Arabic phrase “alfarg al-arabi,” which freely translates as “the Arab salvation wheel.” Whenever Israeli aggression toward the Palestinians encountered international condemnation, an Arab leader would make an extreme statement, and Israelis would cry out that the Arabs wanted to throw them into the sea, and everyone would forget that hundreds of thousands of Palestinians had already been expelled from Israel.
How the wheels turn. Instead of threats that serve Israeli aggression, the leaders of the Arab world now embrace their Israeli counterparts. Some people have been tempted to think that the inclusive attitude to Israel adopted by the Arab world would soften the hearts of policymakers here and push them toward reconciliation with the Palestinians, but Israel in fact understood things in a completely different way – that it has received a carte blanche to step up oppression of the Palestinians.
That’s what happened after the peace agreement with Egypt, and now that’s what’s happening in the wake of the Abraham Accords. The........
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