Eight years ago, Mauritania became the third Arab country to establish full diplomatic relations with Israel. This momentous action occurred without fanfare, and even today is not as widely known as it ought to be.
The other two, Egypt and Jordan, signed peace treaties with Israel in 1979 and 1994, respectively, and shortly thereafter opened embassies and exchanged ambassadors. These challenged the longstanding conviction among Arab leaders that diplomatic ties with Israel would be established only in the context of a full Israeli-Palestinian peace. But, bordering Israel, and having engaged in costly warfare, Egypt and Jordan proceeded without waiting for a resolution of the Palestinian situation, which has held Arab-Israeli relations virtually hostage for 60 years.
Israel’s upcoming 60th birthday provides a great opportunity to take a step back from the day to day and assess the bigger picture.
It’s easy to be drawn into a pessimistic outlook about Israel’s future. There’s plenty of evidence to support such gloominess: much of the Arab world’s continuing rejection of the Jewish State’s right to exist; the rising tide of Muslim extremism; the menacing threat of Iran; the growing social, economic and religious cracks within Israeli society.
New York State Senator Kevin Parker recently traveled to Israel on a Project Interchange Seminar for legislators involved with energy legislation. Parker visited the AJC studio and discussed his impressions of Israel on his first visit and energy policy.
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Download: mp3 of interview.
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