Israel losing protecting shield in region

Representative of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Movement in Tehran Abu Sharif welcomed the recent developments and uprisings in the Muslim countries which have led to the collapse of the Zionist regime's allies in the region, and said Israel's protection shield is growing thin every day."The Zionist regime has had three security belts in the past, namely Egypt, Turkey and the monarchical regime of Iran; but God blessed us and the support of the Shah of Iran for the Zionists stopped as a result of the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran," Abu Sharif said in Tehran on Sunday. "Also with the collapse of Hosni Mubarak in Egypt we are witnessing that Israel's security belt is growing increasingly tight," he said, implying that the trend of affairs is moving in a direction that will eventually lead to the collapse of the Israeli regime after it is left alone with no protection shield in the region. In similar remarks, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta also warned earlier this month that Israel is becoming an increasingly pariah regime in the Middle East. Panetta, who arrived in Israel earlier this month for the first time since becoming Pentagon chief, said he would reaffirm US security commitments to Israel and try to help it improve its increasingly chilly relations with Turkey and Egypt. "It's pretty clear, at this dramatic time in the Middle East when there have been so many changes, that it is not a good situation for Israel to become increasingly isolated. And that is what has happened," Panetta told reporters on his plane. Analysts believe that the growing power and impacts of Islamic awakening and popular uprisings in the Muslim countries will entail dire consequences for the Zionist regime of Israel, including its further isolation in the region. In prelude to a full cut of ties, Egyptians raided the Israeli embassy in Cairo last month and forced the Israeli ambassador to leave their country. Less than a week later, Jordanians staged a similar demonstration and intimidated the Israeli diplomats in their country so deeply that the Zionist regime's diplomatic corps in Amman ran away even before the start of the rally in anticipation of a raid. Observers believe that similar events will most likely happen in all those countries which are experiencing popular uprisings.