“There has been a great change in the power of the people’s voice in the Middle East. Today, the Arab public is a virtual parliament that can overthrow regimes,” said Zvi Barel, veteran Mid-East Affairs analyst for the 'Haaretz' daily. Speaking before the Israel Council on Foreign Relations (ICFR), in a hall packed with foreign diplomats, scholars and students, he stressed that the “Arab Middle East doesn’t really care about the Israeli–Palestinian conflict because it is simply fed up with it.”
The gathering was dedicated to the memory of ICFR founder, legendary spymaster and diplomat David Kimche (1928–2010), who was remembered by former Mossad Director Shabtai Shavit.
Jonathan Spyer, a senior research fellow at the Gloria Center, IDC Herzliya, advanced the thesis that the US-led bloc in the Middle East has disintegrated. “There is a strong sense of bewilderment and fear among some US allies, while others feel rage and betrayal… The Iranian-led bloc, however, remains intact.” Speaking about Syria, he noted that Iran has successfully ensured the survival of its ally in Damascus, while “borders have broken down and a single sectarian war has emerged across a broad swath of territory stretching from Iraq to Lebanon.”
Esther Webman of Tel Aviv University’s Dayan Center focused on manifestations of anti-Semitism in the era of the “Arab Spring.” A large portion of the Arab world believes that there is a Jewish hand in all the chaos and disruption being visited upon them, she explained, pointing to examples of political rivals defaming one another by claiming that each is of Jewish descent or working in the service of “the Zionists.”
The Jerusalem-based Israel Council on Foreign Relations is devoted to the study and debate of foreign policy, with special emphasis on Israeli and Jewish concerns. The ICFR functions under the auspices of the World Jewish Congress.
Photo: Andres Lacko
