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CIAO DATE: 12/5/2006
Iran Against the Arabs
Michael Rubin
July 2006
Abstract
The Arab states' reaction to Israel's assault on Hezbollah and Lebanon has been surprisingly tolerant. This should not be read as Arab acceptance of Israel as a state; rather, it is an indication of fear of a greater threat: Iran.
After Hamas kidnapped nineteen-year-old Corporal Gilad Shalit on June 25, Israeli forces launched an assault on Gaza to win his release. Arab condemnation was swift. Saudi Arabia's pro-government al-Jazira daily called Israel "a society of terrorists." Egypt's state-controlled al-Gumhuriyah condemned Israel's "heinous crimes" in Gaza. Following a July 8 meeting in Tehran, foreign ministers from countries neighboring Iraq denounced the "brutal Israeli attacks."