Ron Kampeas
The Times of Israel, July 16, 2022
“Now for the first time, there is a separate law that criminalizes any relationship with Israel or with Israeli citizens, not just political or defense but also NGOs, charitable organizations, mercantile relationships, will automatically trigger either execution or life in prison.”
It has become a kind of mantra in Washington and Jerusalem: Integrate much of the Middle East, including Israel, into a single security system to keep Iran in its place.
The issue came up as soon as US President Joe Biden landed Wednesday at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel for his first visit as president and his 10th since 1973.
“We will discuss building a new security and economy architecture with the nations of the Middle East, following the Abraham Accords and the achievements of the Negev Summit,” Prime Minister Yair Lapid told Biden, referring to the 2020 normalization agreements with some of Israel’s Arab neighbors and a follow-up meeting earlier this year. “And we will discuss the need to renew a strong global coalition that will stop the Iranian nuclear program.”
The prospects for an anti-Iran alliance look good. There’s major buy-in from both parties in Congress, the Biden administration is on board and some of Israel’s neighboring Arab nations are at least intrigued, if not enthusiastic.
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