Binyamin Netanyahu’s speech at the UN was optimistic about the future. Among the many sunny things he said was:
But now I’m going to surprise you even more. You see, the biggest change in attitudes towards Israel is taking place elsewhere. It’s taking place in the Arab world. Our peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan continue to be anchors of stability in the volatile Middle East. But I have to tell you this: For the first time in my lifetime, many other states in the region recognize that Israel is not their enemy. They recognize that Israel is their ally. Our common enemies are Iran and ISIS. Our common goals are security, prosperity and peace. I believe that in the years ahead we will work together to achieve these goals, work together openly.
This was in one small way a self-fulfilling prophecy.
The Kuwaiti delegation, for the first time, stayed to listen to Bibi’s speech.
The Kuwaiti speech to the UN General Assembly included some lukewarm boilerplate against Israel. The summary by the UN says:
The conflict between Israel and Palestine was having a destabilizing effect on the region as a whole. It was incumbent upon the Security Council to compel Israel to implement the relevant resolutions so that the Palestinian people could attain their legitimate political rights.
But Kuwait also said that it looks forward to cooperating with Iran, with caveats:
In regards to Kuwait’s relations with Iran, [Kuwaiti PM al-Sabah] said that he looked forward to cooperating with the country. Their constructive dialogue should be based on mutual respect for the sovereignty of States and the principle of non-interference, he emphasized. In light of that, Iran should end the occupation of the three Emirati islands and aim to resolve the lingering issue either through direct negotiations or resorting to the International Court of Justice.
The impression I get is that that Kuwait desires to become a broker of sorts for the different intra-Muslim conflicts and therefore wants to keep relationships with all the major players in the region.
(h/t Elchanan)
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