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Confronting Iran over its controversial nuclear program and meddling in Iraq is having a sobering effect on the decade's long Arab-Israel conflict.
Saudi Arabia has asked Israel to show flexibility over the peace plan or be prepared for war. The Saudi backed peace initiative to be discussed at the 22 nation Arab League meet proposes to recognize the state of Israel in exchange for Israel vacating Arab lands that were captured in the 1967 Middle East War and resolving the Palestinian dispute. Libya is only the Arab League nation boycotting the meet.
Saud-al-Faisal, secretary general of the Arab League warns that the Middle East faces perpetual conflict should the peace plan fail.
Posturing and rhetoric notwithstanding, deep diplomacy is at play, which has the tactical support of America and Israel. The Saudi peace plan was initially moved in 2002 but was rejected by Israel, then.
Israel Prime Minister Ehud Olmert does not appear to be averse to the renewed proposal this time around provided his concerns about Palestinian refugees are taken care of.
Regional supremacy and stability is pushing Saudi Arabia to try and settle old Arab-Israel disputes. With Iranian Revolutionary Guards having captured 14 British navy men, a flash point in the US-Iran stand off has already been provoked and should Iran strike US assets in the region, if hostilities were to break out, other Arab nations were bound to get involved and regional stability could be threatened.
Awry of the growing adventurism of a radical Iran, convergence of interests between Israel and Saudi Arabia has developed. A nuclear tipped Iran could overthrow Saudi supremacy in the region, slice up an unstable Iraq to take control of its oil rich trade and take the lead in confronting Israel to achieve its pronounced objective of wiping out Israel from the face of the map.
By making the Hamas and Fatah to agree to a national government, the Saudis have created a platform on which an Israel-Palestinian dialogue could help to resolve matters.
Israel opposes the Saudi plan to give Palestinian refugees the choice of returning to Israel on the ground that it is a demographic threat to the Jewish state and the refugees should be asked to settle within the Palestinian state. The Israelis have reservations about fully vacating the occupied territories as well making East Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestine state.
The Arab peace move to reach out to Israel has the backing of EU. Javier Solana, EU foreign policy chief, hoped that a meeting of EU, Russia, UN and United States -- the international Middle East peace Quartet, with key Arab players could be arranged at short notice to speed up the peace process.
The Arab-Israel peace process has not moved beyond the Israel-Egypt peace accord of 1979. With Saudi Arabia taking the lead to settle the thorny issue, the powerful Arab nation is attempting to retain its supremacy in the region as well as contain growing ambitions of Iran.
