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In Israeli Foreign Policy, Everything Is Connected

The apology and the reconciliation with Turkey, writes Akiva Eldar, teaches us that Israel cannot address only one threat and sweep the others under the rug.
U.S. President Barack Obama (2nd L) participates in a farewell ceremony with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (2nd R) and President Shimon Peres (L) at Tel Aviv International Airport, March 22, 2013.   REUTERS/Jason Reed   (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3FBUJ
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The apology that President Obama extracted from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the subsequent dramatic reconciliation with Turkey only go to show that everything in the Middle East is connected.

The Iranian nuclear program, the insurgency in Syria, the negotiations with the Palestinians and the Arab Spring – none of these topics can "go on leave." You cannot deal with the Syrian chemical threat without mending fences with Ankara. And you cannot mend fences with the Turks without taking action to mend fences with the Palestinians. We can now say that the turn of phrase "what's the connection?" which has been the quintessential Israeli stance to date is now "yok." In Turkish, this word denotes "no longer in existence" or "defunct." All of a sudden, the Prime Minister's Office passionately makes the case that Israel and Turkey have a joint interest to stop the Middle Eastern axis of evil.

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