THE recent meeting in the Negev desert, which brought together top officials from Israel, the US and those Arab regimes that have normalised ties with Tel Aviv, has been widely seen as a jamboree of peace. But the message that emanated from the moot was far more ominous in the regional context. For starters, though the Arab foreign ministers of Egypt, Bahrain, Morocco and the UAE backed a “peaceful resolution” of the Arab-Israeli dispute, the irony that the Palestinians were not invited to a meeting held in their own land was difficult to escape, reinforcing the perception that they had been thrown under the bus by their Arab brethren. Moreover, the conclave also strengthened the view that the US and Israel were firming up an anti-Iran coalition. If there were any doubts about this particular motive, the Israeli foreign minister cleared them up when he emphatically declared that a “new regional architecture” was being created to deter “our common enemies, first and foremost Iran”. This, then, was the key reason behind arranging the Negev meeting.

Clearly, a complex game is underway in the Middle East, with mixed messages being sent. For example, the US, the Europeans and the Iranians themselves say a new nuclear deal to revive the JCPOA is “close”. Moreover, the UAE has also made overtures to Iran in recent days, indicating that it wants to rebuild relations with the Islamic Republic. Yet, alongside these developments, there is the talk of a new regional anti-Iran “architecture”, with Israel regularly issuing bellicose statements targeted at Tehran. In the midst of such mixed messaging, there are very real possibilities of things getting out of hand and triggering a new flare-up in the region. If regional states are genuinely interested in peace, then it is obvious that all stakeholders should support the revival of the nuclear deal and work towards a conducive atmosphere. Moreover, dialogue between Iran and the Arabs to iron out mutual differences would benefit the region. The latter process can include the Gulf sheikhdoms, with Saudi Arabia playing a lead role. Making hostile anti-Iran noises and standing next to the Israelis is not the answer. The US as well as its local allies must be clear in their views: do they seek confrontation with Iran, or peace? If they prefer to build bridges then the belligerent rhetoric must be abandoned so that a genuine peace process with Iran can get underway.

Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2022