In the Middle East, a fresh look at the land-for-peace deal
Will King Abdullah's bid to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict gather momentum?
from the April 4, 2007 edition
Page 1 of 2
Provo, Utah - Two new high-level players have emerged in the tangled Middle East peace process.
One is Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah.
The other is the new secretary-general of the United Nations, Ban Ki Moon.
At last week's Arab League summit in Riyadh, King Abdullah sought and gained the renewed support of Arab leaders for an initiative he first proposed in 2002 to end the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. The core of the proposal is full recognition of Israel by the Arabs in exchange for Israel's return of Palestinian lands seized in the 1967 war.
Settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian problem would do much to create an environment for stability in the Arab world. Many believe it would also greatly diminish the reason for Arab extremists to continue their campaign of hatred and terror against the United States, which is seen as Israel's champion.
Saudi impetus
The move for traction in the maneuvering to bring Israelis and Palestinians together has gained new impetus recently in largely Sunni Saudi Arabia.
It has watched with concern as Iran, largely Shiite, is emerging as a challenger for influence and dominance in the region. The Saudis are alarmed by Iranian meddling in Syria and Iraq, concerned by Iran's backing of Islamist extremist and terrorist groups, and extremely worried at the prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran.
Though Saudi Arabia and the US enjoy close ties, King Abdullah last week took the unusual tack of firing a broadside at the US for its "illegal foreign occupation" of Iraq.
Washington's reaction was remarkably mild, leading most observers to believe that the king was addressing his remarks to an Arab audience to gain credibility and leverage with it while offering a quiet "wink, wink" to the US that this is all part of Middle East politics.
Both the Saudis and other Arab leaders at the Arab League summit now believe the ball is in the Israeli court. While King Abdullah has sought with his criticism to put a little distance between himself and the US, he expects the US to work on Israel to get Israel to the negotiating table.
RSS feed
