The Arab world is following with great interest the political upheaval in Israel, and many there find it difficult to understand the inconceivable gap between Israel's powerful image and the paralysis gripping its political system.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
Most of all, and perhaps even more than the Israelis themselves, the Arab world expects a clear decision in Tuesday's elections; one that will lead to the formation of a stable and functioning government.
This is not only an Israeli interest but also a pan-Arab interest. After all, in the current regional reality, after it became clear that the United States is determined to leave the region in the name of its desired rapprochement with Iran, the Arabs need a strong Israel to lead the fight against the Iranian threat, as well as deal with other challenges in the region.
As in any Israeli election campaign in recent decades, there are those who seek to drag Arab leaders into the political fray and falsely attribute to them positions that are not theirs.
Thus, for example, it has been argued that there the peace agreements between Israel and the Gulf states, Sudan and Morocco, are hollow and that they will not survive the change of administration in the United States, as all these countries sought was good relations with Washington – not a true peace with Israel.
Here and there, media reports have reported about the would-be diplomatic crisis between Israel and its neighbors – a rift with the United Arab Emirates, the cold shoulder from Saudi Arabia, and the collapse of peace with Jordan. In reality, however, the peace treaty with Amman and the Abraham Accords are thriving. So much so, that it appears additional Arab nations are lining up to join them.
Attempts to impose Israeli-Arab politics on election campaigns are not new.
On the eve of the 1981 elections, then-Egyptian President Anwar Sadat was said to have endorsed Shimon Peres, then the leader of The Alignment party – today's Labor party – over the fact that he was at odds with then-Prime Minister Menachem Begin after he ordered the destruction of the nuclear reactor in Iraq. But this was simply untrue. Sadat valued Begin – his partner in crafting the 1979 peace treaty between Jerusalem and Cairo – as a credible and strong leader who stood his ground, and was hoping he was re-elected.
In the 1996 elections, then-King Hussein of Jordan and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak were also rumored to support Peres, over his vision for a "new Middle East." Both, however, Benjamin Netanyahu as prime minister, for the same reasons that Sadat preferred Begin at the time. It is safe to say that today, too, Arab leaders are looking for an Israeli partner that can be trusted and with whom they can promote moves that will have a positive impact on the future of the entire region.
It is important to be aware of Arab leaders' positions, especially when contrary positions are falsely attributed to them, but at the end of the day, the decision on Israel's political future is best left to Israeli voters.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
