Five reasons why Israel should care about the Qatar crisis

[HAIDER]

1. It hurts Hamas

Qatar has supported Hamas over the last decade and hosted former Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal for the last five years in Doha. In 2012 Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani visited Gaza and pledged hundreds of millions for the Strip. Qatar therefore provided Hamas not only a home in Doha but financial support and diplomatic succor. The new pressure on Qatar has encouraged it to expel Hamas members and will reduce its support for the group. This may also isolate Turkey’s relations with Hamas. Qataris are now focused on which airlines will still fly to the country tomorrow, spending money on the Gaza Strip and hosting Hamas may seem like a liability they don’t need now. Hamas will find itself with even fewer allies which could give Israel leverage to encourage the group to change its ways. More likely, Hamas may lash out against Israel to show its relevance.

2. It brings Israel closer to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the Gulf

Israel has shared interests with Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states in opposing Iran. Because Qatar has supported Hamas, the new crisis encourages those states that oppose Qatar to see Israel as a partner against Hamas and against Iran. This relationship has already been quietly growing in recent years, but the crisis with Qatar allows writers in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf to speak out more firmly against Hamas. Saudi's Al Arabiya has showcased interviews with Wonder Woman's Gal Gadot.


3. It shows US influence is back in the region

The background of the current crisis was a feeling that US President Donald Trump’s speech to “drive out” terror gave a blank check to local states to act. Under Barack Obama Israel sometimes felt isolated, especially as the US pursued the Iran deal. Now Israel feels that the Americans are back in the region and will stand by their allies.


4. It delegitimizes terror

The regimes that have broken relations with Qatar pay lip-service to fighting terror and instability. Israel prefers a stable region without terror groups undermining neighboring states. However there is ISIS in Sinai, Hamas in Gaza, Jihadists near the Golan and Hezbollah on the Golan and in Lebanon. In that sense Israel knows that any greater instability can be a threat. So long as Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and other states work in concert, the winds of stability will blow in Israel’s direction as well. The saying “all ships rise with the tide” is apt. All stable countries in the region will rise if extremist groups are reduced.


5. It bolsters Israel’s hand in general and Israel’s current government in particular

Israel benefits when it is not the center of attention and certainly when it is not under pressure. This is a boon for the current government because Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long spoken about working towards quietly cultivating regional relationships beyond Egypt and Jordan that stretch to the Gulf. He has spoken about the Iranian threat for two decades. If the Arab states are more concerned with Iran and Qatar, than with the Palestinians, that takes pressure off of Israel, at a time when Palestinians are trying to remind the region that they are facing fifty years of living under Israel’s military rule. Over the years Israel has gone from being seen as the center of the region’s problems, to today when the Palestinian issue is dwarfed by larger conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Yemen Libya and now in the Gulf. That plays into Netanyahu’s narrative, and takes the wind out of any sails that hoped 50 years since 1967 would have some sort of jarring affect. This will have some blowback because voices in the region will accuse the Gulf and Saudi of working "for Israel." Syria and Iran already accuse them of working with Israel. But these voices are already opposed Israel, which means Israel's image in the region likely can improve amidst the current crisis.
http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Five-reasons-why-Israel-should-care-about-the-Qatar-crisis-494891

 

[Falcon29]

1.) I'm getting sick of these Israeli publications suggesting Palestinians are initiating any kind of 'wars', which never was nor is the case. There is an ongoing 'war' in the West Bank and Gaza, which is mostly exclusively at the behest of Israel. In the West Bank they have a massive military force in the streets illegally usurping land that does not belong to them, and executing anyone who opposes that. While assuming their resources in the occupied territory as well. In Gaza they are on the border, sea and air 24/7 breaching the border and setting up 'buffer zones', have drones in the sky 24/7, naval ships at sea shooting anyone that fishes at a distance they deem off limits, restricting travel/import/export of goods. That is the only 'war' going on right now.

Palestinians have no military capabilities to defuse this occupation, only a small arsenal of old and homemade weapons in one territory(less than 20% of Palestinian territories), which were needed to fend off the occupation prior to 2006. And are the only means that will prevent Israel from reoccupying the territory which it intends to do in the long term. So this narrative is severely detached from reality, Israel is no victim here, and it is determining the outcome of the conflict now and for years to come. It decides when there should be more war or not.

2.) No it doesn't, sharing similar interests is not the same as being allies. Israel has relatively okay relations with Qatar and Turkey, irregardless of the rhetoric we see from its officials. Israel is not contributing to anything in the campaign against Iran, that is the US which is sanctioning Iran and having military card as option. Iran threatens Saudi Arabia in different ways than it threatens Israel, and Israel cannot help them with that in any way, nor does it want to. Israel is a spoiled nation that does not go by 'give and take' universal approach. It is trying to get best of both worlds, and all we see from KSA/Gulf are deaf ears. Not going to happen unless they accept Arab Peace Initiative.

Egypt and Israel on other hand have diplomatic ties that are unrelated to Iran or the Gulf, and all to do with being neighbors, the peace treaty, and border security.

3.) All Israel seeks is delegitimization of Palestinians, and thus this so called 'US influence' it is applauding is nothing more than Israel getting off by the thought of Palestinian parties having no sanctuary in the Arab world to advance interests of their people.

4.) ISIS is a terrorist group, in Sinai it is attacking Egyptians, it is Egyptian itself as far as Sinai goes. That is internal security matter. Lebanese Hezbollah is a party in Lebanon aligned with Iran, which mostly acted in interests of Lebanon, but recently has grown to wider role supporting Iran's regional activities. Thus Gulf nations view it as a terrorist group for that reason. It is still a legitimate party however. Out of all them, Hamas is by far the most legitimate and doesn't resemble anything akin to an ideological extremist group that is formed out of ideological sentiments. Hamas was formed by the Palestinian people themselves, and is an Palestinian party representing the people, dedicated to national goals. There is nothing 'terror' like about Hamas or any other Palestinian parties which are essentially the bodies of a Palestinian 'state' had there been a state officially existing.

5.) Israel will see any development in the region as a 'boost' to it's interests, whether that be the destruction of a nation or any political development. What this tells us, is that the current 'Israeli' people are no genuine Middle Easterners. They isolate themselves from the majority, don't want to integrate with the people, see themselves as Western rather than Middle Eastern. Refuse to advance a peace process that could bring it into the majority of the region culturally and politically. Thus they hold contempt for everyone that isn't 'Western Jewish type', and so whatever analysis you read, they consider everything and anything a benefit as they stoop very low with their disregard to the whole region's history, peoples and culture.

 

[jewishm]

1.) I'm getting sick of these Israeli publications suggesting Palestinians are initiating any kind of 'wars', which never was nor is the case. There is an ongoing 'war' in the West Bank and Gaza, which is mostly exclusively at the behest of Israel. In the West Bank they have a massive military force in the streets illegally usurping land that does not belong to them, and executing anyone who opposes that. While assuming their resources in the occupied territory as well. In Gaza they are on the border, sea and air 24/7 breaching the border and setting up 'buffer zones', have drones in the sky 24/7, naval ships at sea shooting anyone that fishes at a distance they deem off limits, restricting travel/import/export of goods. That is the only 'war' going on right now.

Palestinians have no military capabilities to defuse this occupation, only a small arsenal of old and homemade weapons in one territory(less than 20% of Palestinian territories), which were needed to fend off the occupation prior to 2006. And are the only means that will prevent Israel from reoccupying the territory which it intends to do in the long term. So this narrative is severely detached from reality, Israel is no victim here, and it is determining the outcome of the conflict now and for years to come. It decides when there should be more war or not.

2.) No it doesn't, sharing similar interests is not the same as being allies. Israel has relatively okay relations with Qatar and Turkey, irregardless of the rhetoric we see from its officials. Israel is not contributing to anything in the campaign against Iran, that is the US which is sanctioning Iran and having military card as option. Iran threatens Saudi Arabia in different ways than it threatens Israel, and Israel cannot help them with that in any way, nor does it want to. Israel is a spoiled nation that does not go by 'give and take' universal approach. It is trying to get best of both worlds, and all we see from KSA/Gulf are deaf ears. Not going to happen unless they accept Arab Peace Initiative.

Egypt and Israel on other hand have diplomatic ties that are unrelated to Iran or the Gulf, and all to do with being neighbors, the peace treaty, and border security.

3.) All Israel seeks is delegitimization of Palestinians, and thus this so called 'US influence' it is applauding is nothing more than Israel getting off by the thought of Palestinian parties having no sanctuary in the Arab world to advance interests of their people.

4.) ISIS is a terrorist group, in Sinai it is attacking Egyptians, it is Egyptian itself as far as Sinai goes. That is internal security matter. Lebanese Hezbollah is a party in Lebanon aligned with Iran, which mostly acted in interests of Lebanon, but recently has grown to wider role supporting Iran's regional activities. Thus Gulf nations view it as a terrorist group for that reason. It is still a legitimate party however. Out of all them, Hamas is by far the most legitimate and doesn't resemble anything akin to an ideological extremist group that is formed out of ideological sentiments. Hamas was formed by the Palestinian people themselves, and is an Palestinian party representing the people, dedicated to national goals. There is nothing 'terror' like about Hamas or any other Palestinian parties which are essentially the bodies of a Palestinian 'state' had there been a state officially existing.

5.) Israel will see any development in the region as a 'boost' to it's interests, whether that be the destruction of a nation or any political development. What this tells us, is that the current 'Israeli' people are no genuine Middle Easterners. They isolate themselves from the majority, don't want to integrate with the people, see themselves as Western rather than Middle Eastern. Refuse to advance a peace process that could bring it into the majority of the region culturally and politically. Thus they hold contempt for everyone that isn't 'Western Jewish type', and so whatever analysis you read, they consider everything and anything a benefit as they stoop very low with their disregard to the whole region's history, peoples and culture.

its true about ashknzi jews but not for mizrahi jews who are 60% of israeli jews.
both mizrahi jews and ashknzi see you as enemie its the reality. when mizrahi jews can find some common stuff with palestinans ashknzi jews cant find nothing. i see myself as part of the jewish pepole and also part of the middle eastrn culture. altough mizrahi jews talked arabic today alot of us dont speak like our parents. yes its complicated.