The congratulations offered by Bahraini Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, and UAE FM Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Prime Minister-designate Foreign Minister Yair Lapid on the formation of a new Israeli government, demonstrates that the Abraham Accords will endure beyond the tenures of former leaders Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump.
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Still, I have my reservations, as any engaged person should have, as to the implications for the region's security, as well as the Abraham Accords and how they may be expanded to encompass more Arab nations.
We need to remember to thank Netanyahu for what he has done, especially in conceiving and realizing the Abraham Accords, which proved to the world that peace can be made with Arab countries even without a full resolution of the Palestinian issue.
In fact, Netanyahu, over the years, showed consistency and clarity in standing up to Iran. He has also spoken out against Hamas and political Islamists, including the Muslim Brotherhood.
Now comes the question, is this new government going to be as clear and steadfast in its stance towards those threats, which worry not only the Israelis but also the new allied Arab countries? Is this new government going to lean more towards a leftist/Islamist position or are we going to see more of a balance between conservative and centrist parties, and leftists and Islamists?
If we take a closer look at the governing coalition in Israel, which comprises Right, Center, Left and Islamist parties, we can draw parallels with the factions in the Democratic Party, which is composed of a conservative/moderate wing, Liberals/Libertarians, a Progressive wing and a Left-wing/pro-Islamist faction.
Since the Obama presidency, the Democrat Party has shifted towards a more Left-wing/pro-Islamist position and the voices of the conservative/moderate wing almost disappeared after Bill Clinton. Now, the voices that are at the forefront in the party are those of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib.
Since Barack Obama's time in the Oval Office, there has been ever-greater appeasement by the Democrat Party of the Iranian regime and its nuclear deal, and indifference to the Iranian regime's interference in Arab countries, evident in its handing over of Iraq to Iran.
We have also witnessed the party's growing support for the Muslim Brotherhood. This is because leftists and Islamists in the Democrat Party are trying to persuade Washington and world leaders that political Islamists, such as the Muslim Brotherhood, are convenient antidotes to extremist groups like Islamic State and Al-Qaida, and want political Islamists to be viewed as versions of moderate Islam that can tame terrorist groups.
In fact, the roots of terrorism lie in an ideology that originates in textbooks used by political Islamists, the only difference between them being that political Islamists present a tolerant version of themselves to the West and only show their true radical selves to the Arab region.
As commentators have observed, the main reason for the Bennett-Lapid team uniting was to defeat Netanyahu, so the question now is whether they can stay united and successfully deal with these critical and challenging matters.
The strength of this government lies in its diversity of positions, but although different perspectives can generate more robust solutions, they can also engender conflict and result in bad decision-making.
If this government turns out to be tough on Iran's; if it exposes the radical reality and the propaganda war of terrorist groups such as Hamas and other jihadists that want to wipe Israel off the map; if it proves to the international community that the Islamists in the Raam party are pragmatic and not two-faced like other political Islamists; and if at the same time condemns the violence perpetrated by radical ultra-Orthodox organizations, we are all going to applaud them for it.
But if it turns out to be an apologist for political ideologue Islamists and appeases the Iranian regime just like the Democrat Party, then we will welcome Netanyahu back at the next election.
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