NBC News Chief Foreign Correspondent Richard Engel reported Israel and Arab states such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan were finding “common cause” in “their opposition to US policy” towards Iran on Tuesday’s “MSNBC Live.”
“Israel, however, and several countries across the Middle East are watching this very closely, the Israeli government, the new Prime Minister, Netanyahu, do not believe that what is going on in Switzerland is the right thing. They think it is dangerous. They think it rewards Iran, and what we’re seeing now is an unusual dynamic where Israel, which has long been the pariah of the Middle East, is finding common cause with Arab states, with Egypt, with Saudi Arabia, with Jordan, all coming down with a very similar line to Israel’s, that Iran should not be given the reward of a negotiation, that it shouldn’t be allowed to continue to have a nuclear program, even with constraints because the belief is, by both Arabs and Israelis that it will encourage Iran to, not only go forward with its nuclear program in a limited capacity, but also to continue its efforts to expand its influence around the region. And what we see — what we’ve seen in the last several months is, Iran very much spreading its influence in Yemen through Iranian-backed rebels, in Iraq through Iranian-backed militia groups. And so there’s an interesting dynamic here. I can’t remember the last time I was in Tel Aviv and reporting about how Tel Aviv and so many Arab states like Saudi Arabia were singing from the same sheet about Iran and their opposition to US policy” he stated.
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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