by Reuters and Israel Hayom Staff
"Many, many years ago, when there was an Arab decision not to have contact with Israel, that was a very, very wrong decision, looking back," says Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash
UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash Photo: Reuters
Relations
between Arab states and Israel need to shift to help progress towards
peace with the Palestinians, a senior United Arab Emirates official was
quoted on Thursday as saying.
The decision by many Arab countries not to
talk with Israel has complicated finding a solution over the decades,
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said, according to
Abu Dhabi-based daily The National.
"Many, many years ago, when there was an
Arab decision not to have contact with Israel, that was a very, very
wrong decision, looking back," Gargash said, in unusually candid
remarks.
"Because clearly, you have to really
dissect and divide between having a political issue and keeping your
lines of communication open," he added.
His comments came after the UAE and other
Gulf states criticized U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition this
week of Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights.
They also followed a visit last month by
Trump's senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner to Gulf Arab states
to seek support for the economic portion of a long-awaited U.S. proposal
for Israeli-Palestinian peace. Gulf Arab states host U.S. troops and
are important for Washington's regional defense policy.
Israel has formal diplomatic relations with only two Arab states, neighboring Egypt and Jordan.
But Culture and Sport Minister Miri Regev visited Abu Dhabi's Grand Mosque
last year and fellow Gulf state Oman hosted Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu on a surprise trip, the first time an Israeli leader had
visited the sultanate in 22 years.
Israel sees Arab states as its natural
allies against regional adversary Iran. But many in the Arab world
resist following Jordan's and Egypt's lead as long as the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains unresolved.
Gargash said he expected increased contact
between Arab countries and Israel through small bilateral deals and
visits by politicians and athletic delegations. Israeli athletes won
gold in an Abu Dhabi judo competition in October, and its national
anthem was played.
"The strategic shift needs actually for us to progress on the peace front," Gargash said.
"What we are facing, if we continue on the
current trajectory, I think the conversation in 15 years' time will
really be about equal rights in one state," he added, alluding to a
possible fusion of the Israeli and Palestinian polities in place of the
creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel.
He said this conversation was currently on the margins but this would change.
"A two-state solution will no longer be
feasible because a sort of reduced rump [Palestinian] state will no
longer be practical," Gargash added.
Reuters and Israel Hayom Staff
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/2019/03/28/uae-minister-encourages-arab-openness-to-relations-with-israel/
Follow Middle East and Terrorism on Twitter
No comments:
Post a Comment