Qatari Emir: Arab Spring a loss for Israel

Qatar’s ruler says Israel has become more isolated by the Arab Spring and will face increasing pressures over issues such as its presumed nuclear arsenal. Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani urged Israel’s leaders to view the Middle East uprisings as an opportunity for serious peace talks with Palestinians. The fall of Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak last year has also wiped away Israel’s main Arab ally, and Qatar’s emir predicts the region’s new governments will press Israel harder over its policies, including a widely suspected nuclear arms program. Israel has never confirmed or denied whether it has atomic weapons. Qatar’s emir spoke Sunday at the opening of the Doha Forum, an international political affairs conference. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to establish a Palestinian state in line with the two-state solution after forming a surprising coalition with opposition Kadima party early May. Many critics said it is Netanyahu’s chance to strike a deal with the Palestinians, as his coalition with Kadima has strengthened his political party’s agendas not to be brought down by hard-line nationalists. The Arab Spring has put Israel under a lot of pressure, and has forced Israel to change its stance on the future of the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Israel which has long-warned that Islamists will hijack the Syrian government if Assad’s regime falls but Israeli military intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi’s recently said that the Jewish state is “better off” if Assad’s regime was toppled.