The common belief around the world (with some exceptions), is that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the root of instability in the wider Middle East. Others go so far as to say the existence of the state of Israel is the cause of all that's wrong in the region. Some, however, claim that, were it not for Israel, civil war in a number of Middle Eastern countries would be much more prevalent.
Indeed, one of the few things that unites the diverse factions in the region is a sincere hatred for the state of Israel. Although some Sunni leaders have equated Shiites with the lowest form of being (كفّار
kuffār; unbeliever), both sects would agree that the true enemy is
Medinat Yisra'el.
A case in point is the recent
suicide bombing in the southern resort town of Eilat, where an Islamic Jihad member killed himself and three innocent civilians. Instead of a condemnation, the ruling Hamas movement said that the attack was a "natural response" to Israel's policies. Palestinian Web site
Ramattan (unfortunately only in Arabic) even quoted the family of the 23 year old suicide bomber, Fasial al-Saqsaq, as saying "We knew that he was going to carry out a martyrdom operation...His mother and father prayed for him to succeed." President Abbas, on the other hand,
condemned the bombing.
Despite their differences, just one day after the bombing, Hamas and Fatah managed to achieve what they hadn't been able to during the relative lull with the Israelis; namely
implement a cease-fire. About 36 Palestinians had been killed in the last few days as a result of the infighting, making the threat of all out civil war more likely than ever before. Fortunately for them, a reminder that there is another, more significant enemy, was enough to put a temporary halt to the internal bloodshed.
This pattern can also be found in the rest of the Middle East. While Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is locked in a
struggle with the Muslim Brotherhood, the same anti-Israel voices can be heard coming from government sponsored newspapers and from Muslim Brotherhood officials. Although officially Egypt and Israel are at peace, you wouldn't know it based on their press.
Furthermore, Iran's nuclear program has been a major point of contention for Sunni Saudi Arabia, which is highly weary of any form of Shia domination. Reports have even surfaced that Saudi Arabia is
considering developing her own nuclear program in response to Iran, which was
corroborated recently by a top Saudi ambassador. While a nuclear program does not necessarily equate to seeking a nuclear weapon, it does seem odd for a country like Iran to need nuclear energy, while the Saudis have made clear they will only embark on a nuclear path if Iran remains defiant. Again, despite the animosity between these countries, there is no hesitation in
collaborating when it comes to arming and financing groups hostile to Israel.
Other examples that cannot be ignored include Lebanon and Syria. Both the current internal strife and the horrible civil war in Lebanon show the precariousness of stability in the diverse country. The recent conflict with Israel, however, united practically the entire nation and garnered Hezbollah unprecedented support. Now that the enemy is gone, the country is on the verge of political collapse. In a sad, ironic sense, it appears only Israel is capable of uniting the Lebanese. In Syria too there were massive movements against Assad's Baathist regime, culminating in a major crackdown that decimated the Muslim Brotherhood mainly due to what is commonly known as the
Hama massacre in 1982. Here too there is little conflict when it comes to how to perceive Israel: hate them.
Perhaps there is something to the idea that Israel is in fact a source internal stability for rival factions in the Palestinian territories and the greater Middle East. Rather than a source of instability for the region, Israel serves as a unifying element for internal (and at times external) politics in a number of Middle Eastern countries.
