Israel's defensive war enjoys widespread support from most leaders of the enlightened world. However, the war also brought out an incited mob of immigrants from the Arab and Muslim world, joined by radical leftist activists, who sweep the streets of European cities in Jew-hatred marches, the likes of which the continent has not known since the end of World War II.
In light of the global turmoil, most Arab countries continue to maintain a deafening silence. Arab leaders convened for a summit conference in Saudi Arabia to discuss what was happening in Gaza, but as usual, nothing came of the discussions except speeches and empty statements. It was the presidents of Iran and Turkey, two Islamic fanatics who support terrorism, who set the tone there as well. At the same time, no Arab country has severed its relations with Israel, and some Arab countries even hope – usually secretly – that the Gaza campaign will end with a Hamas victory.
It is clear to the Arab world that any achievement for Hamas is an achievement for Iran, which the Arabs perceive as a threat to the security and stability of the Arab states. Every achievement for Hamas is also an achievement for the Muslim Brotherhood movements, which pose a threat to the stability and very existence of most regimes in the Arab world.
The Arab states helped normalize and make peace with Israel because they saw it as a worthy partner and a credible, and above all powerful, ally. Now they are watching us and our conduct vis-à-vis Hamas, waiting to see if they can trust us or whether they made a mistake.
It is clear that these are leaders and elites, but they do not let the "Arab street," that backward mob that seeks to return the region to the darkness of the Middle Ages, run their affairs. After all, everyone knows that even those bloodthirsty and incited illiterates demonstrating in the streets need food, housing and jobs, and only peace with Israel can guarantee them.
In this display of restraint and moderation in the Arab world, Qatar and Jordan stand out negatively.
As for Qatar - every word is superfluous. It is second to Iran in responsibility for the massacre of Israeli civilians by Hamas, and it is a shame that there are still those in the Israeli government who hold a conception, just like the one regarding Hamas, that Qatar is an address for dialogue regarding the future of the Gaza Strip.
As for Jordan, Jordanian duplicitousness is ingrained in the DNA of the kingdom and its rulers, going back decades. On the one hand, the ugly face of Jordan, of its leaders, including the king and his Palestinian wife, Queen Rania; of the media and of the hateful street. All of them thirst for the water supplied to them by Israel, light their homes with electricity produced from Israeli-made gas, and then speak as if they were the last Hamas murderers.
On the other hand, Jordan maintains close security ties with Israel under the table, and its security forces are mobilized to guard our eastern border against Palestinian or Iranian terrorism. This is security cooperation that benefits both sides – Israel, but also Jordan, which faces economic challenges and security threats at home and abroad.
It is clear that these are leaders and elites, but they do not allow the "Arab street," that backward mob that seeks to return the region to the darkness of the Middle Ages, to run their affairs
It is possible to ignore what the Jordanians say, but it is more correct to draw red lines for what Israel is willing to absorb from the king, the queen and all their servants. And when a prominent newspaper in Jordan writes with a front page headline, "What after Israel?", hinting at the hope that Israel will be wiped off the map – and in a dictatorial country like Jordan things are not said without permission from above – one wonders if in Amman someone decided to push Israel to answer with the question "What after Jordan?" - a reminder of how this artificial state was established by the British, on territory designated by the British for the Arab population of the Land of Israel, Jordan is Palestine.
The bottom line is that the Arab world is waiting for the day after the war. If Israel achieves victory and emerges victorious from the campaign, the quest for peace with the Arab world, including Saudi Arabia, will be renewed.
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