Still They are the Friends of the Arabs

In the UN Security Council, Washington has exercised its veto 41 times in the Council to shield Israel from condemnation for its actions in the occupied Palestinian territories or Lebanon".

Arab Uprising: Israel the Biggest Loser

Regionally, Israel is the biggest loser. It has put all its eggs into the basket of Arab dictators and autocrats, like Egypt's deposed Hosni Mubarak. Israel fought tooth and nail to support Mr Mubarak, who played a key role in tightening the siege of Gaza and the noose around Hamas's neck.

Time and again, the Israeli political class has proven to be its own worst enemy. Israel lost Iran 40 years ago because it put all its eggs in the Shah's basket. It has just lost Turkey over the killing of nine activists on board a Gaza-bound Turkish aid ship.

And now Israel is likely to lose Egypt, a critical and pivotal neighbour whose Camp David peace agreement in the late 1970s consolidated Israel's superiority in the region and undermined the official Arab state system.
Regardless of what governments emerge out of the rubble of political authoritarianism in the Arab world, they will have assertive foreign policies that challenge Israel's hegemony and further colonisation of Palestinian lands.
Meanwhile, the leadership of the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, has lost all credibility in the eyes of the people there. The leaked negotiation documents obtained by al-Jazeera - offering wide-ranging concessions to the Israeli side - were the final nail in the PA's coffin.
Resistance-based movements like Hamas and Hezbollah have gained more popularity at the expense of Abbas's Palestinian Authority; they will emerge as major winners of the social turmoil unless Israel takes concrete steps to sign a peace settlement and withdraw from occupied Arab territories.
So Israel has become a military fortress. The best way for Israel to address its security dilemma is to accept a two-state solution as suggested by the international community - including its long-time ally, the US. full story

Egypt Protests: Jitters to Israel

Should the government of Hosni Mubarak be replaced by one not truly committed to freedom and peace, the consequences for Israel could be devastating. As Egypt struggles toward an internal balance that appeases all forces, including the Muslim Brotherhood, peace with Israel could be the price of an Egyptian compromise. And the risks are worse if the Brotherhood, an organization deeply hostile to Israel, America and the West, gets to call the shots.

Opinion of the Israeli Intellectual Media

Although many Israeli commentators are rehearsing these fears about Islamist politics, some have questioned these reactions. "There are no religious slogans in Tahrir square, but still we look upon the Muslim Brotherhood as though it is the greatest threat," says Zvi Bar'el, veteran middle eastern affairs analyst for Haaretz newspaper. "This is how we are educated by the government and media, to see Islam as a symbol of evil."
Bar'el adds that Israelis do not register the contradiction of claiming to support democracy, but only on condition that Islamic parties such as the Palestinian Hamas or Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood are not elected. "It has no meaning if you attach these terms," he says, adding that Israel's position is: "We support democracy, as long as you keep the dictatorial regimes in place."
Dr Bachar at the IPS says that Israeli policy is based on the assumption that there are only two alternatives in the Middle East: "a dictator that can be worked with – or chaos." He cautions that Israel "needs to change the record, insert a new disc".