Denis Korkodinov – Interview with Ibrahim Muslem
Israel’s current role is changing significantly as regional conflicts develop. If earlier it was difficult to imagine the organization of the negotiation process between the Jews and the Arab world, now it is becoming a reality. Tel Aviv seeks to extend its influence not only to the territory of the Greater Middle East, which is why even the United States cannot limit Israeli ambitions. Meanwhile, the Greater Middle East, along with the influence of Israel, continues to depend on the positions of the United States, China and Russia.
Especially for World Geostrategic Insights, we talked about this with Syrian political expert Ibrahim Muslem.
1. Victoria Coates, Deputy Assistant Advisor to the US President Donald Trump, recently met with the ambassadors of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman and Morocco in Washington. The choice of representatives of these countries for the meeting was due to the fact that all four countries have secret contacts with Israel, but do not have diplomatic relations with it. At the same time, Victoria Coates, expressing the opinion of the White House, made a proposal to conclude an agreement on intransigence, which would significantly accelerate the diplomatic dialogue between the countries. Does this mean that Israel, in the light of the normalization of relations with a number of countries in the Persian Gulf and Africa, aims to normalize the Arab-Israeli conflict? Why does Tel Aviv need to urgently establish diplomatic relations with the Arab states amid the domestic political crisis associated with the process of forming a national government?
– In light of the emergence of regional poles, such as Iran and Turkey, the normalization of relations with Arab countries has become an urgent need for Israel.
We all know that hostility exists between Iran and Israel, and the recently improvement of the Turkish-Iranian relations, according to Israel, means that its agreements with Turkey are temporary. Therefore, it is necessary to normalize relations with Arab countries, especially since Iran and Turkey are striving to strengthen their influence in these countries. In addition, Israel seeks to calm the situation in the Gaza Strip through the role of the Arabs.
2. On December 9, 2019, the Arab Economic Forum has been held in Dubai, in which, along with 18 representatives of the Arab countries, former US Vice President Dick Cheney and former Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing participated. It is noteworthy that in this way the Arab world emphasized that without cooperation with the United States and China, international development, and, in particular, the development of the Gulf countries, is impossible. Is it really? Why have Washington, Beijing and Moscow recently been paying close attention to the countries of the Arab world?
– The countries of the Arab world depend on the outside world in securing their supplies, whether industrial, technical or even food products, so its development depends primarily on imports.
Chinese goods have swept global markets, even the European Union and the United States. Therefore, the Gulf states consider Beijing and Washington, as well as Moscow, as the main sources of their development. At the same time, these three countries see the Gulf countries and the Arab world as a whole as a suitable environment for their product markets.
3. The decision of US President Donald Trump to recognize the right of Jews to live in Judea and Samaria (West Bank) was strongly protested by Palestine, but at the same time found supporters among several Arab countries in the Persian Gulf. In this regard, how urgent is the problem of Jewish settlements on the West Bank? Why does the United States pay much attention to the process of granting Israel wide privileges: first, recognition of Israel’s right to the eastern part of Jerusalem, then the recognition of Tel Aviv’s right to the Golan Heights, and now Jewish right to settle in Judea and Samaria? In this regard, do not you think that modern US policy is not so much pro-American as pro-Israeli?
– In fact, the Arab world does not distinguish between Israel and the United States. Arabs believe that Israel is a spoiled child of the White House administration. For this reason, the Arabs proceed from the opinion that the expansion of the territory of Israel is of interest to the United States and increases their influence in the region.
Regarding the interests of Washington or Tel Aviv, I think this is considered an internal American issue, since there is a strong Jewish lobby in the White House administration. In this regard, what the United States is doing in the region ultimately meets the interests of Israel.