32 | DECEMBER 3 • 2020
with Israel, it would jeopardize
its security interests and leave
itself exposed to the Iranian
threat.
The normalization deals deliv-
er a message all-too-familiar to
Palestinians: You’re on your own.
At present, it doesn’t seem
like Israeli-Palestinian nego-
tiations will resume, Yaari
predicts, “due to both Israeli
and Palestinian leadership.”
It is not inconceivable, how-
ever, that “when Abu Mazen
[Palestinian President Mahmud
Abbas] is replaced, and perhaps
Netanyahu as well, there will be
a breakthrough.”
SUDAN MOMENTUM
Trump announced in late
October that Sudan would start
normalizing ties with Israel
after pledging that the African
country would be removed from
the terror list, as it agreed to
put $335 million in an escrow
account for compensating
American victims of terror
attacks.
The importance of the Israel-
Sudan normalization stems, in
part, from the expansion from
the Middle East outward to
Africa, as well as the unique
momentum, proving that the
UAE wasn’t an isolated case, but
a cornerstone potentially mark-
ing the beginning of a trend.
FIGHTER JETS?
Predictably, the agreement was
accepted with mixed emotions
in the Arab world. But even in
Israel and the U.S. the festive
atmosphere was overshadowed
by growing doubts — primar-
ily following the White House
notification to Congress late
October that it intends to sell 50
Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter
jets to the UAE, thus jeopardiz-
ing Israel’s military edge.
“The idea that we’re giving the
exact same fighter jet to an Arab
neighbor just makes me ner-
vous,
” said Michigan Democratic
Rep. Elissa Slotkin, who is Jewish
and previously worked at the
Pentagon. “I support normal-
ization, but not at the expense
of Israeli’s strategic national
security.
”
But Israeli security sources
later confirmed to local media
that they were attempting to
advance the purchase of F-22
Raptor jets — currently the
world’s most advanced fighter
plane — from the U.S., so that
the Israeli Air Force would pre-
serve its superiority in the region
despite the deal.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Israeli Intelligence Minister
Eli Cohen said implementing
further normalization deals
could depend on the next U.S.
president displaying continued
“resolve” against Iran, naming
Qatar, Morocco and Niger as
some of the potential next coun-
tries “on the agenda.
”
Behind closed doors, some
Israeli security officials are allow-
ing themselves to ponder the
possibility of normalizing rela-
tions with other Arab countries,
like Oman, or — perhaps, one
day — even Saudi Arabia.
Critics point out that cozy-
ing up to Saudi Arabia means
getting in bed with one of the
worst human rights abusers in
the world. However, for such
unprecedented normalization
deal to take place, Israeli officials
agree that a few crowns still need
to change heads. For now, the
near future for Israeli nationals
looks more like an all-inclusive
holiday in Dubai.
Dana Regev is an Israeli-born jour-
nalist who reports on global affairs for
Deutsche Welle in Germany and is a
contributor to the Jewish News.
continued from page 30
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