UAE’s and Bahrain’s normalisation of relations with Israel could be an opportunity for Palestinians
September 30, 2020 | Jamie Hyams
Israel’s normalisation agreements with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, signed on 15 September, signify a potentially tectonic shift in the Middle East and represent perhaps the greatest advance towards peace there in 25 years… Predictably, they have also been condemned by those who measure success in the region not by the welfare of its population, including the Palestinians, but by how bad things are for Israel.
Russia’s quest to make itself indispensable in the Middle East
September 17, 2020 | Oved Lobel
Although it has neither the desire nor the financial or military capacity to actually displace the United States in the Middle East, Russia has become adept at planting itself firmly in the middle of crises and conflicts and establishing itself as an indispensable intermediary at relatively little cost.
Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates fully normalise relations with Israel – ABC Radio interview
September 16, 2020
AIJAC’s Ahron Shapiro discussed the US-brokered diplomatic rapprochement between Israel and the United Arab and Emirates and Bahrain with ABC Newsradio’s Glen Bartholomew.
Bridging the gulf to peace
September 15, 2020 | Sharyn Mittelman
The deals reflect a broader geopolitical realignment taking place – an already existing covert alliance of the US, Israel and Sunni Gulf nations against the threat represented by Iran and its proxies including terror group Hezbollah, due to Iran’s nuclear program and its destabilising activities across the region.
Deals between Israel, UAE and Bahrain shatter old barriers
September 15, 2020 | Colin Rubenstein
These historic deals, unlike those before them, have not grown out of the cold, transactional “land for peace” framework that followed the 1967 Six-Day War, but a new model of “peace for peace” and shared mutual interests. They are the organic product of both economic opportunity and common security concerns, particularly regarding the threat to all three countries from Iran – through conventional warfare, proxy militias and terror groups, and nuclear weapon ambitions.
Australia must do more to get Melbourne academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert out of Iranian prison
August 25, 2020 | Naomi Levin
The University of Melbourne Middle East expert has become another pawn in the Iranian game of taking foreign hostages under the guise of imprisoning “spies”. But should the Australian government be doing more, or doing things differently, to secure Moore-Gilbert’s release?
Senior Israeli diplomat Yuval Rotem explains UAE triumph to AIJAC webinar
August 21, 2020 | AIJAC staff
The latest guest for the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) in its Live Online series of webinars was Yuval Rotem, the recently retired Director-General of Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a former Ambassador to Australia, among many other senior roles.
A fortnight that has transformed the Middle East
August 20, 2020 | Allon Lee
Two explosions – one literal, the other political – have rocked the Middle East in quick succession over the past fortnight, with profound consequences.
China-Iran deal shows folly of ending UN arms embargo on Iran
August 6, 2020 | Colin Rubenstein
Australia, together with its Western partners, should lend all diplomatic support to US efforts to extend the arms embargo on Iran and, given the latest IAEA findings, look for ways to increase pressure on Iran over its dangerous nuclear program and the threat it represents to international peace and security.
