In a recent survey of Arab youth, surprisingly few respondents ranked Israel as “the biggest obstacle facing the Middle East.” Evelyn Gordon believes this and other signs offer grounds for optimism:
This year, defying a long tradition of blaming all the Arab world’s problems on Israel, only 23 percent of respondents cited the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as the region’s main obstacle. . . . A comparison with previous surveys shows that this figure has been declining slowly but steadily for the past few years. . . .
The poll also highlights another encouraging fact: the issues young Arabs do see as their top concerns—Islamic State (IS), terrorism, and unemployment—are all issues on which cooperation with Israel could be beneficial, and in some cases, it’s already taking place. For instance, Israeli-Egyptian cooperation on counterterrorism is closer than it’s been in year—not only against Hamas, but also against Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, the IS branch in Sinai. Israel and Jordan cooperate closely on counterterrorism as well, and it’s a safe bet that quiet cooperation is also occurring with certain other Arab states that officially have no relations with Israel.
Egypt and Israel have also ramped up economic cooperation, even manning a joint booth at a major trade fair earlier this year.
Read more on Evelyn Gordon: http://evelyncgordon.com/young-arabs-agree-israel-isnt-arab-worlds-major-problem/