The Middle East is rapidly changing, and in some cases, for the better.
One of the themes prevalent around the time of the Abraham Accords was
that such was unthinkable just a few years prior. In this week's
Action Update, we start with an even more "once unthinkable" reality in
which we presently find ourselves.

A Secret Meeting

News broke over the weekend, that back in March, the United States
brought together high-ranking military leaders from Israel and several
Arab countries to maximize coordination between these nations in the
effort to confront Iran.

The meeting of senior officers from Israel, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan,
Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates is unprecedented. Some
of these countries don't even have diplomatic relations with Israel.
But they still communicate and at times cooperate with the Jewish state
when it is mutually beneficial.

Certain adages remain true, and one is that the enemy of my enemy is my
friend. The Middle Eastern pessimist might add "at least for now," to
the end of that sentiment, but all of these nations are negatively
impacted - to say the least - by Iran' s malign activities.

Moreover, there is always potential for the relationship between Arab
nations and Israel to grow into something greater. Each-and-every day
the countries that are party to the Abraham Accords see new economic
opportunities develop and materialize. As Middle Eastern leaders inch
forward towards relative liberalization, their relationships with the
West, including Israel, will become less about convenience and more
about an increasingly prosperous future.

The Next Leader of the PA?

Don't feel bad if you haven't heard of a Palestinian politician
named Hussein al-Sheikh, but after today, you should remember that name.
Al-Sheikh was recently appointed the secretary-general of the Palestine
Liberation Organization (PLO) and head of the PLO negotiating team.
Effectively, al-Sheikh is now Mahmoud Abbas's number two.

Al-Shiekh has a checkered past, including spending eleven years in
prison in Israel and being involved in the Unified National Command of
the First Intifada, so don't get too hopeful that even with an
inevitable changing of the guard in Ramallah peace will break out in the
Middle East.

This said, it is worth noting that in more recent years, al-Shiekh has
been focused largely on Palestinian civil affairs, and he maintains
relations with Israeli, American and other nations' diplomats. And
lest anyone forget, you don't make peace with your friends, you make
peace with your adversaries, provided they are reasonable and pragmatic
enough to understand why such is in everyone's interests. Maybe
al-Sheikh will fit that mold if the opportunity arises.

While even for the most seasoned Middle East analysts, predicting who
will succeed Abbas is a fool's errand, al-Shiekh's elevation is
notable, and he's a personality worth watching amongst the factions
who will vie to fill the inevitable post-Abbas power vacuum.

A Discussion About the DEFEND Act

In case you missed it, last week, the Action Fund's Boris Zilberman
participated in an online discussion

with Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) about the benefits of the Abraham
Accords, the Iranian threat to the region, and the DEFEND Act.

Following the live discussion, Zilberman had this to say, "It was a
pleasure to speak with Senator Ernst about the threats facing Israel and
how US leadership - whether through the support of key missile defense
programs or history-changing initiatives such as the Abraham Accords -
can help shape a Middle East which ensures that American and Israeli
national security interests are met."

"As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Ernst has a
deep understanding of the security situation in the Middle East and how
Iran through its own military and its terrorist proxies endangers not
only the US and Israel, but Arab nations as well, many of whom have now
normalized relations with Jerusalem and or are quietly moving in that
direction," Zilberman added. 

The genesis of the discussion centered around the DEFEND act, a
bipartisan and bicameral piece of legislation that would ensure the US
remains fully engaged in bringing forward a regional missile defense
architecture to confront Iran. With the CUFI Washington Summit just a
few weeks away, the DEFEND Act, and several additional pieces of
legislation, are front of mind for us here at the Action Fund, and we
hope that engaging with your elected officials is front of mind for you
as well.

If we are to ensure that American and Israeli national security
interests are protected, we must sit down face-to-face with our leaders
to let them know where their constituents stand on these vital issues.
If you haven't already signed up to join us in Washington, there's
still (a little) time; just visit www.cufi.org/summit
to register.

Sincerely,

The CUFI Action Fund Team

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