Reading the British press – or even listening to some ministers – you would be forgiven
for thinking that the only obstacle preventing Middle East peace is Israeli obstinacy and Benjamin Netanyahu’s unwillingness to force his political allies – like Shas – to the negotiating table.
But, as always, things are a bit more complicated than the newspaper headlines would suggest. From Israel’s position, the region is looking increasingly hostile. Talk of a war in Lebanon with Hezbollah persists. In Syria, President Assad looks less interested in a rapprochement than he has done for years. Turkey is now closer than at anytime to declaring Israel an enemy – military-to-military links have stopped and the ruling AKP party’s rhetoric about Israel and also Iran rightly worries
Pressure from Iran on Israel – either through Hamas and Hezbollah or directly – persists and the US promise of another twenty F-35 stealth fighters means less when the Obama administration seems to be going soft on Tehran’s nuclear programme.
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