Israel has got a problem. Part of the diplomatic and military rapport that former President Donald Trump and former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu built is under attack.
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True, sometimes the one pulling the trigger is a Houthi – as in the missile attack on the United Arab Emirates during a visit by President Isaac Herzog – or an Iranian, or a Lebanese, or a member of ISIS.
However, the main party that is responsible for this unraveling is the Biden administration, which has adopted a appeasement on all fronts.
Washington removed the Houthi rebels from its list of terrorist organizations, with Saudi Arabia now being the bad guy, and genocidal Iran has become the target of desperate courtship. Netanyahu's Israel was the iron of American hawkishness in the region, but it is now trying to strengthen the system that the Biden administration is undermining.
Fortunately for Israel, Herzog was elected president. It was clear ahead of time that he would need to be a leading figure in Israeli foreign policy, although it is not an official part of his role. While Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is spinning, and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid is making promises left and right, Herzog and his wife Michal are on the right track.
The presidential visit signals to the UAE that Israel is steadfast in its commitment. Barely a week has gone by since the current government took office without a visit by some Israeli lawmaker to the Gulf state.
The US' conciliatory approach, which enabled Russian aggression in Ukraine, is also the cause for tensions in the Middle East. Just as in the case of the Houthis, Washington no longer opposes the International Monetary Fund's five-billion-dollar loan to Iran.
Similarly, last year, Secretary of State Antony Blinken removed the sanctions previously imposed by presidents Obama and Trump on Nord Stream 2, the gas pipeline between Russia and Germany running along the Baltic seabed, and its chief executive Matthias Warnig. Such actions are perceived by leaders – Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi – as an incentive to continue further demands, as well as aggression.
Seeing that the US cannot focus on two hot spots at the same time, tensions in the Middle East are likely to rise. However, it must be noted that despite talks of improving ties with Egypt – presidential visits or even active diplomacy in Cairo are far from being actualized.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan should direct his signals of seeking improved ties with Israel to Herzog. A meeting between then woudl be a most-welcome development , but one that Israel should not be too eager to arrange. Perhaps, it is best Israel give Greece and Cyprus the same reassurance it gives the UAE.
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