Israel Confirms Regional Military Project, Showing Its Growing Role

Israel Confirms Regional Military Project, Showing Its Growing Role

NY Times- June 20th 2022

JERUSALEM — The Israeli government confirmed on Monday that it is part of a regional military partnership to combat threats from Iran, in the latest example of Israel’s growing engagement with some Arab governments and the recalibration of Middle Eastern alliances.

The members of the new initiative, called the Middle East Air Defense Alliance, are working together with the United States against Iranian missiles, rockets and unmanned drones, Israel’s defense minister, Benny Gantz, said in a briefing to Israeli lawmakers.

“This program is already operative and has already enabled the successful interception of Iranian attempts to attack Israel and other countries,” Mr. Gantz said.

First reported by The New York Times in March, the military partnership is one of the most consequential outcomes of a diplomatic détente that was sealed nearly two years ago between Israel and parts of the Arab world, ending decades of Israeli isolation.

Ostracized for years by all but two Arab states, Israel began to formalize relationships in August 2020 with four others, including the United Arab Emirates, after mediation by the Trump administration.

The air defense alliance highlights the speed at which some of those relationships have moved from symbolism to substance. It also shows how fears of Iranian aggression are now a more pressing concern for some Arab leaders than an immediate end to Israel’s occupation of the West Bank.

Until 2020, all Arab countries apart from Egypt and Jordan had refused to normalize relations with Israel until the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was resolved. But over time, the economic opportunities and military benefits associated with full ties with Israel eroded that stance.

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https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/20/world/middleeast/israel-arab-military-alliance.html