Ahead of a visit by US President Joe Biden to the West Asia region, Many reports have surfaced regarding significant developments in play that will likely come together during President Joe Biden’s. A number of Arab countries and the Israeli regime have increased their diplomatic interactions and contacts amid a tense atmosphere in the West Asia region.
Western and Israeli regime's media outlets have raised speculation about the US plan to form a military alliance in the region. The Jordan king further exacerbated these speculations by voicing support for the alliance.
Recently, the Israeli regime's war Minister Benny Gantz announced that Israel has joined what he called the Middle East Air Defense Alliance (MEAD), a US-led regional air defense network that includes some Arab countries without naming the Arab countries.
When rumors of the defense arrangement circulated earlier this month, a White House spokesperson told Breaking Defense only that the US “strongly support[s] Israel’s integration into the broader Middle East region, and this will be a topic of discussion when the President visits Israel.”
So far, many Arab states, especially the Persian Gulf ones, have been silent about the new development. Their media also remained silent on the issue. But Israeli media magnified the new US initiative and sought to portray it as directed against Iran.
To know more about the issue and the possibility of formation of such an alleged alliance against Iran we reached out to Dr. Osman Faruk Logoglu a senior member of Turkiye's CHP and veteran politician.
Here are his comments on the issue.
"President Biden’s planned visit to Israel and Saudi Arabia in mid-July will surely have important ramifications in the region. However, the talk of a new regional alliance against Iran is premature and not likely to be the central theme of the Biden trip. The alliance idea is one so far being promoted by Israel. For the US, Israel is a strategic partner and Bidens’s visit is designed to underline that fact. For Biden, it also has the function of sending a message to the Jewish lobby for its support in the upcoming mid-term elections in November.
The Saudi visit however is primarily one to help secure a steady flow of oil, given Biden’s economic woes at home. Gasoline is as important as drinking water in the American way of life. Hence keeping gasoline prices low is a national interest for any American president.
One final point: while there have been improvements in the ties between the Arab countries and Israel, it is unlikely that the Arabs will be willing or are ready to forge a military alliance with Israel. The Arab countries may have problems with Iran but should have no interest in further isolating or antagonizing their neighbor, especially in collaboration with Israel. "
Interview by Payman Yazdani