by Prof. Eyal Zisser
Egypt rejoiced Monday in light of what has been described by Cairo as "Trump's sun shining anew on Egypt-U.S. relations after many years of darkness."
The Arab pilgrimage to
the White House is now officially underway, following Egyptian President
Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi's meeting with U.S. President's Donald Trump in
Washington on Monday. Jordan's King Abdullah will then arrive in
Washington on Wednesday, followed by Palestinian Authority President
Mahmoud Abbas later this month.
One would be
hard-pressed to overestimate the value in these meetings. After all,
el-Sissi avoided visiting the White House during Barack Obama's
presidency, or more precisely, Obama did not invite him to visit. No
wonder, then, that Egypt rejoiced Monday in light of what has been
described by Cairo as "Trump's sun shining anew on Egypt-U.S. relations
after many years of darkness."
Thus Washington returns
to playing a central role in the Middle East, as befits a world power
with a significant military presence in the region that provides
billions of dollar in assistance to many Arab states. This also serves
to insert order and proportion to the Middle East map, which Russia has
relied on Iran to help reshape. After all, Russia cannot truly compete
with the U.S. for the hearts and minds of the Arab states. It does not
have Washington's economic resources, nor its military power or
presence. And besides, Moscow carries substantial Iranian baggage.
The Arab leaders visiting Trump this week do so immediately after attending the Arab League summit
in Jordan. Following years of paralysis, the result of the Arab Spring
and the collapse of a number of Arab states that ensued, the summit's
greatest accomplishment was the fact that it even took place to begin
with.
But just because Arab
leaders attended the summit does not mean they have taken a unified
approach, let alone reached anything resembling a genuine agreement on
the matters at hand. The Arab states disagree on the question of Syria,
Iraq and Yemen, and find it difficult to formulate a unified line on
Iran. As a result, conference participants preferred to pay lip service
to the only subject on which they are in agreement -- the Palestinian
issue.
But while Abdullah
spoke pompously of the Palestinian question as the central and in fact
sole issue for the Arabs, he did so after making the interesting choice
of hosting the talks not in the Jordanian capital of Amman, but at an
isolated tourist spot on the shores of the Dead Sea. This was, of
course, on account of the threat of an attack by the Islamic State
group. As everyone knows, this is the central threat the Hashemite
kingdom faces, and it has nothing whatsoever to do with the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
On the eve of
el-Sissi's meeting with Trump, extensive media reports indicated that
the Arab leaders had decided to work together to press Trump to restart
peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, on the basis of the Arab framework for peace.
But it is doubtful there is any credence to the reports. For further
proof, one need only reference the official statements from the
government in Cairo, which reiterated that el-Sissi was in Washington to
discuss Egyptian interest, such as the war on terror, Egypt's
struggling economy and Iran.
Faced with all these
challenges, Israel's importance as a loyal and valued strategic partner
with whom Egypt already maintains close cooperation is obvious. Both
Egypt and Jordan are interested in ensuring, and even promoting and
deepening, their strategic cooperation with Israel. The U.S. has an
important role in establishing regional cooperation, along the lines of
the strategic alliance that is slowly forming in the region over the
common threats that Israel and the Arab states face. Such an alliance
could help advance talks between Israel and the Palestinians, as long as
they are not taken hostage by the whims of the Palestinians.
The combination of a
new boss in the White House and upheaval in the Arab world, along with
the challenges facing countries like Egypt and Jordan, is what ensures a
fresh start in Israeli-Palestinian relations on the basis of Israel's
deepening cooperation with the Arabs.
Prof. Eyal Zisser
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=18763
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