One by one, Israel is normalizing ties with Arab states at the same time as the vaccines set to help eradicate a pandemic that has ravaged our country and the world are set to arrive.
One person has successfully led both processes of peace and processes of war, efforts to contain the epidemic, and deflect attacks from the wolves and jackals who sought to undermine political stability in the country. That person is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
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As the number of Arab states forging official ties with Israel grows, so too does the pressure on Iran and the Palestinians. In the US, President Donald Trump's detractors seek to depict him as someone who mangled things for Washington in every international arena, but the very opposite is true. For 40 years, the US did not have one foreign policy achievement in the Middle East to speak of. Ever since Israel signed an accord with Egypt, we have seen nothing but failed and bloody moves on Washington's part.
Trump's predecessor former US President Barack Obama contributed to the chaos that continues to reign supreme in the region. He is responsible to a great extent for the Middle East's collapse and in particular the ongoing slaughter in Syria. US President-elect Joe Biden's pick for secretary of state Antony Blinken said himself that anyone who had a hand or foot in Syria needs to look in the mirror and admit they failed. Those words are directed first and foremost at Obama.
Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu succeeded in turning the Middle East against Iran through peace agreements between Israel and the Arab Gulf states, Sudan, the alliance being forged with Saudi Arabia, and now peace with Morocco, but also through a policy of increasing pressure on Tehran and withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal. Wherever Trump and Netanyahu took action, there you will find progress and forecasts for prosperity and hope.
Wherever Russia and Iran act, there you will find death and chaos. Earlier this week, Russia's Ambassador to Israel Anatoly Viktorov called Israel the main reason for instability in the Middle East. Where exactly did this aggressive assertion come from? The assassination of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh is not the only message being sent to the incoming Biden administration, but also the announcement of a peace deal between Israel and Morocco. Don't drop the ball. Don't give Iran and the Palestinian Authority leadership hope.
The chances for achieving peace with the Palestinians increase as the external circle of peace with Arab states closes more tightly around us. But this won't be the schematic peace of two states for two peoples the international community has heralded for so many years. More importantly, it won't be a peace marked by retreat and the evacuation of settlements either.
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