March 25, 2012

Does the Saudi Arms Deal Jeopardize Israel?

Writing for Foreign Policy In Focus, Scott Charney takes issue with the recent American sale of fighter jets to a Saudi Arabia whose future alliances are uncertain.

The U.S. arms sale to Saudi Arabia is clearly putting Israel in danger. This seems strange, considering the role that Israel and its lobbyists have come to play in the foreign policy of the United States, but it makes some sense if one realizes the other forces involved. Oil-related concerns, the desires of the military-industrial complex to find good customers, and other geopolitical issues make it possible for the United States to conduct business in a manner that works strongly (and perhaps calamitously) against Israeli interests.

Turkey’s Fears: What Threats Could Syrian Crisis Unleash?

Jacques N. Couvas of the Inter Press Service examines the reasons for Ankara’s about face on the use of force against the Syrian regime.

Some in political and diplomatic circles here speculate that Erdogan’s AKP is keen to see a Sunni-led government in Damascus replace Assad and his regime, whose security forces, in particular, are dominated by fellow Alawis, who belong to a sect that is an offshoot of Shi’a Islam.

Jews of the Arab World Are Already Home

It is preposterous to suggest that the uprisings across the Arab world will lead to a return of Jews to those countries, writes Jonathan S. Tobin in Commentary Magazine.

Rather than the Arab Spring helping to create a situation where amends might be made for the Jews who were expelled from countries like Egypt, the rise of Islamist parties there has made the status of religious minorities even more uncertain. While Jews once thrived in the Muslim world, albeit under the intermittent threat of persecution and pogroms, the notion that Jews would be free to live there while expressing their identity is farcical.

Israeli spies ‘step up missions into Iran seeking proof of nuclear plans’

The Sunday Times (which is behind a pay wall) claims that the IDF is sending elite troops disguised as Iranian soldiers on scouting missions into Iran from northern Iraq.

According to the report in the London paper, the Israeli operatives dress up as Iranian soldiers and monitor radioactivity at various suspicious locations. Their mission is to find “smoking gun” evidence that Iran’s nuclear program is aimed at production of weapons. They reportedly use “sensitive equipment” to measure levels of radioactivity and to gather evidence of nuclear weapons-related testing.

Israel’s Arabs, Living a Paradox

Writing in the Algemeiner, Daniel Pipes shares his concerns about Israel’s Arab population.

Muslim citizens of Israel will continue to grow in numbers, skills, and confidence, becoming simultaneously more integral to the country’s life and more ambitious to throw off Jewish sovereignty. This suggests that as Israel overcomes external threats, Israeli Arabs will emerge as an ever-greater concern. Indeed, I predict they represent the ultimate obstacle to establishing the Jewish homeland anticipated by Theodor Herzl and Lord Balfour.