Israel ‘increasingly isolated’ in Middle East

Time to re-establish relations with Turkey, Egypt:

ABOARD A US MILITARY AIRCRAFT: US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Sunday the Arab spring has left Israel “increasingly isolated” in the Middle East and that its military might could not make up for a weakened diplomatic position.

Speaking to reporters aboard his plane bound for Israel as part of a Middle East tour, Panetta said it was crucial for Israel to shore up its relations with Egypt and other countries in the region that had proved valuable partners in the past.

“There’s not much question in my mind that they maintain that (military) edge. But the question you have to ask is it enough to maintain a military edge, if you’re isolating yourself in the diplomatic arena?” Panetta said. “At this dramatic time in the Middle East, when there have been so many changes, it’s not a good situation for Israel to become increasingly isolated. And that’s what’s happening,” he said.

Panetta, who was due to meet Israeli and Palestinian leaders on Monday before heading to Egypt and a NATO session in Brussels this week, said Israel needed to repair diplomatic ties with countries such as Egypt and Turkey and that Washington was ready to help. “I think for the security of that region, it’s really important that we do everything possible to try help them reestablish relations with countries like Turkey and with Egypt,” said Panetta. With the end of Hosni Mubarak’s rule in Egypt and popular unrest elsewhere casting doubt on the premises underlying Israel’s security, Panetta said Israeli leaders were fully aware of the difficult challenge they faced.

“I think they recognize that it’s important to try to do whatever they can to try to improve those relations,” he said. A spokesman for Panetta, George Little, said the Pentagon chief viewed Israel’s isolation as the product of its own actions as well as events outside of its control, including Iran’s support for militants hostile to Israel.

AFP