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In a last-minute revolution, Trump returned Israel to its natural place

In the noise of the attack on the Capitol and the change of government, the importance of the United States military's decision to include Israel in its central command, alongside Arab states, was swallowed up.

The move indicates their willingness to cooperate openly with Israel in the face of Iran's threats

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• United States

• Iran

• the Middle East

Eli Fuda

Tuesday, 26 January 2021, 09:19

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One of the last steps of the Trump administration was the transfer of Israel from the responsibility of the European Command to the Central Command of the United States Army (SENTCOM). The

command, established in 1983, is militarily responsible for Middle Eastern countries (except Turkey and Cyprus belonging to Europe). in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan), as well as Afghanistan and Pakistan. the inclusion of the last command is the result not of the geographic consideration only of the need to distinguish between it and India (which belongs to another command).  

after bringing Israel, The Central Command includes 21 countries, including Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, the six Gulf states, Yemen, etc. Although the Israeli media did not ignore this American march, it seems that its importance and ink were swallowed up in the "noise" of the attack on the Capitol, security concern and swearing-in ceremony. The President. 

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The command will include 21 states.

American soldiers board a plane on their way to a mission in Iraq (Photo: AP, AP)

Historically, the United States and some of its allies have been involved in several conflicts in the Central Command area, first and foremost the Gulf War in 1991 (Operation Desert Storm), various operations in Iraq during the 1990s, military operations in Afghanistan since 2001, and operations Various militaries in Syria, Iraq, the Gulf and Iran over the past two decades.The  

Central Command's operational priorities, according to its website, are deterring Iran, fighting the Islamic State, resolving the conflict in Afghanistan, dealing with threats from chemical weapons drones and more.  

The inclusion of Israel in the US Central Command is, of course, a consequence of the normalization agreements signed between Israel, the Emirates and Bahrain, and indirectly with Sudan and Morocco.

An official statement from the US Department of Defense said that "easing tensions between Israel and its Arab neighbors following the 'Abraham Agreements' provided a strategic opportunity for the United States to unite key partners against common threats in the Middle East."

Inclusion of Israel in Central Command, a revolution in regional strategic thinking

The inclusion of Israel in Central Command, together with Arab companies, is nothing less than a revolution in regional strategic thinking.

Since its inception, especially in the 1950s and 1960s, Israel has made desperate attempts to join defense alliances established by the West against the Soviet Union and the communist threat.

In addition to NATO in Europe and SATU in Asia, the West established the Baghdad Alliance in 1955, which included the regional societies of Iraq, Turkey, Iran and Pakistan.

The Israeli-Arab conflict prevented Israel from joining the Baghdad Alliance.

Just as India and Pakistan cannot be members of the same organization, so Israel and the Arab states could not cooperate.  

In light of the fact that no organization - including NATO - agreed to accept Israel as a society, Israel's sense of isolation from the Arab threat increased. Israel's accession to the US European Command was of course contrary to geographical logic, but it was designed to overcome political and military difficulties. Responsible for possible war zones in the Middle East and including countries in conflict with Israel. 

American soldiers at one of the bases in Iraq (Photo: AP)

A similar decision was made in the context of the UN, when Arab countries managed to prevent Israel from being included in the Asian bloc - a move that prevented Israel from being a member of international institutions determined by a regional key. Only in May 2000 did Israel become a member of a group called Europe Western and other [countries]. "

The US decision to add Israel to the Central Command together with Arab partners, such as Egypt, Jordan and the Gulf states, indicates the willingness of these countries to cooperate with Israel openly against the Iranian threat. The Americans still hold bases in Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar However, given that their military forces are gradually withdrawing from Afghanistan and Iraq, it seems that Israel's and the region's role in defending against the Iranian threat is growing

, moreover, the inclusion of Israel in Central Command indicates on the one hand US intentions to secede from the region The Israeli military's role in common threat arenas, such as Syria, Iraq and Lebanon, as evidenced by a series of attacks attributed to Israel - with the help of American intelligence - in these countries.

29% of the public think that Israel belongs more to the Middle East

Beyond the military importance of the American move, it has symbolic significance because it returns Israel to its natural place in the Middle East.

Decision-makers in Israel have generally not seen it in the Middle East, due to the constraints of the Israeli-Arab conflict but also due to political and cultural preferences.

Back from European Command.

IDF plane during the "Blue Flag" exercise with European armies, last year (Photo: Reuven Castro)

Mitvim's opinion polls reveal that Israeli society is consistently divided about Israel's affiliation: The latest poll in 2020 found that 29% think Israel belongs more to the Middle East, 25% more to the Mediterranean basin, 24% more to Europe, and 22% None of these areas or have an opinion on the matter. So if we can not decide, the Trump administration came and helped us decide.

There is, of course, the possibility that the new president in Biden will reverse that decision, as have other Trump decisions, but it seems that this decision makes a lot of sense, both geographically and in terms of the changes that have taken place in the Middle East over the past six months. It will be interesting to see if all these developments will lead to a change in Israeli society regarding the question of Israel's location and belonging.

Prof. Eli Fuda teaches in the Department of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies at the Hebrew University and is a member of the Committee on Outlines - The Israel Institute of Foreign Regional Policy

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