Israel Plans More Independent Middle East Strategy as 50-Year Iran Threat and US Drift Deepen
Updated
Updated · Newsweek · Aug 8
Israel Plans More Independent Middle East Strategy as 50-Year Iran Threat and US Drift Deepen
3 articles · Updated · Newsweek · Aug 8
Summary
Israel is preparing to operate more independently as officials worry U.S. political shifts could eventually weaken the historic alliance, Consul General Ofir Akunis said.
Progressive Democratic gains and sharper U.S. criticism of Israel are driving that concern, even as Akunis said Israel still expects Washington to remain a key ally.
Israel is leaning on domestically built defenses such as Iron Dome and expanding ties with India, Greece, Cyprus, the UAE, Bahrain and parts of South America rather than acting alone.
Akunis said Iran remains the immediate priority nearly 50 years into clerical rule, while Israel also views a new Saudi Arabia-Turkey-Egypt-Pakistan alignment with suspicion after a Friday defense deal.
He argued a tougher Western line on Tehran and the defeat of Hamas and Hezbollah could open wider regional integration, including revived transport links from Beirut to Cairo through Israel and Gaza.