Israel weaves a major alliance with Arab countries and the debate here is about “is it or is it not a peace process,” or “sovereignty now, sovereignty later.” “Peace” and “sovereignty” are western terms that have no real meaning in the Middle East. In the neighborhood we live in, western logic has no meaning. The only thing that has meaning in this region is force.
Iran and Turkey are violently making moves to extend their control over the area, while cautiously eyeing Israel, the only force to be reckoned within the region. For them, it is purely a struggle for hegemony over Islam and the Near East. For Israel, as always, it is a war for survival.
To establish their position, Turkey and Iran are using force against the peoples of the region. Against Israel as well. Iran has been trying for several years to build a forward base of operations against Israel in Syria. Israel has been elegantly undermining their efforts day after day. We have been exacting a daily cost in blood from Iranian and Hezbollah forces. And again, elegantly and quietly, without leaving a trace.
Iran is trying to build nuclear capability, mainly as a threat to Israel. For the past three months, their program has been hit almost every night. Elegantly. Without a trace.
And now the Iranians will wake up to the reality of an Israeli forward base of operations that can land them an immediate blow should the need arise.
An Israel-Sunni/Muslim axis has quietly and delicately been put together built with the Gulf states with Saudi Arabia exonerating both Jordan and Egypt for the peace they signed with Israel so many years ago.
The State of Israel controls Judea and Samaria, and sits on the banks of the Jordan River. Officially, unofficially? Recognized internationally or not? Who cares? No one except the hallucinatory left is talking about Israeli concessions anymore.
Instead of posing a threat to northern Israel, Hezbollah is now fighting for its very existence in Lebanon. Iran, instead of basing itself in Syria, now needs to change all of its military plans to deal with the presence of a military and technological superpower that has based itself just beyond the Straits.
At the same time, Israel’s relations with Cyprus, Greece, Italy and Eastern European countries are strengthening and posing challenges to Turkey’s attempts to establish itself in the eastern Mediterranean.
Israel is also becoming a regional energy power. The realities of 1977 and 1993 are not the reality of today.
And all this is said without even taking into account the huge economic benefits Israel and the Arab countries will gain through this alliance and how all this relates to the developing struggle with China and its connection to Iran.
While most politicians are busy playing checkers, Netanyahu has always been playing three-dimensional chess.
Daniel Seaman is the managing director of the Movement for Governability and Democracy.
