Knesset elections concluded with the Netanyahu’s coalition with far-right parties’ triumph such as Otzma Yehudit and Religious Zionist led by Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. These days, Likud and allied right-wing and ultra-Orthodox parties are holding Coalition negotiations to form a government. Ushering in Ben-Gvir as New National-Security Minister, Netanyahu proved that he intends to fulfill his promises for the first time to be chaired as the Prime Minister and return to power. Holding the reins over Jerusalem, settlement building, checkpoints and providing financial services to the Arabs by far-right parties shows that Netanyahu has left the most important part of Israel’s security to them. Ben-Gvir’s promises over terrorist Arabs execution, dismantling the Palestinian National Authority, the migration of the majority of Palestinians to Europe and Expulsion of disloyal Arabs has caused the future of the Abraham Accords and Israel’s relations with Arab countries to face serious uncertainties.
MK David “Dudi” Amsalem, Likud’s former chairman of the interior committee, answered and clarified these uncertainties. Denying all the rumors regarding the possibility of the Abraham Accords termination, MK David Amsalem said: “In the past two years, the strategic relations between Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi have developed to such an extent that even the dissolution of the Palestinian National Authority would not harm these relations. Of course, Likud is officially against the dissolution of the Palestinian National Authority at the current stage. This matter should be addressed in another time.”
MK Amsalem continued: “The relations between Israel and the UAE are not only to Israel’s benefit, yet the benefits mostly accrue to Mohammed bin Zayed. He would no longer be able to continue the government without Talavi on his side. Abu Dhabi would still demand the preservation of the Abraham Accords assuming that Israel withdraws from the accords. Today, the authority and security of the UAE and Bahrain is provided by Israel’s defense systems, security and spy software. During Bahrain elections Israeli security experts provided the most valuable service to their government.
At the end, Amsalam emphasized that “the majority of the Knesset are centrist and believe in moderation. The leftist and Arabs press propaganda is not real.”
Former prime minister Yitzhak Shamir famously said: “The sea is the same sea and the Arabs are the same Arab.” The “sea” was a reference to a once-common trope of Arab leaders calling to drive the Jewish usurpers into the Mediterranean.
The Abraham Accords were government-to-government agreements, not people-to-people. And, it must be noted, that these governments are authoritarian to varying degrees. So, their willingness to make peace does not necessarily reflect that of the people under their rule.
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy published a poll that described: “The wave of Arab countries officially normalizing relations with Israel over the past several years stands in contrast with a growing lack of public support for the future of the Abraham Accords in the Gulf.”
The Qatar World Cup 2022 proved that decades of hatred and propaganda towards Israelis don’t just disappear with the flourish of a pen. Muslims’ hatred of Israel doesn’t result in Abraham Accords’ termination. dependence of Arab rulers on us for continuation of their Hereditary Monarchy is a golden opportunity for Israel. Israel is not supposed to be popular and liked by Muslims, yet the Arab countries are supposed to provide Israel’s interests and act as Tel Aviv’s security shield against the enemies of the Jewish people.
