One of them is to strengthen the alliance with the Gulf countries against Iran .. What are the objectives of Israel's participation in the security summit in Bahrain?

Muhammad Mohsen Wad-Occupied Jerusalem

Israel's participation in a maritime security conference in the Bahraini capital of Manama, which discusses ways to defend ships sailing in the Gulf from what is described as Iranian attacks, aims to strengthen the alliance with Sunni Arab countries against Iran, and to strengthen Israeli military, technological and intelligence influence in the Gulf region, according to Israeli experts.

The conference, which began today and concludes on Tuesday, is held in light of the instability of US President Donald Trump's policies towards the Middle East, the uncertainty that prevails over the Iranian nuclear program and the future of the US presence in the Gulf.

The Israeli presence in the Gulf, according to Israeli analysts, aims to penetrate the regional powers active in the region and the Gulf regimes, which would raise tensions between countries.

They believe that the Israeli presence in the Gulf will make it difficult for the Gulf Cooperation Council to carry out its tasks on a regular basis, prevent consensus among these countries, and contribute to the consecration of its deportation from Iran.

According to observers, "the Gulf states realize that there is no alternative to US security, so they seek to diversify sources of support and give a foothold to many players in the economy and security, while Israel seeks to win these opportunities."

Experts agree that the Israeli presence in the Gulf summarizes a range of challenges, "related to strengthening the alliance of moderate Sunni countries against Iran, and attention to the stability of the regimes in the Gulf states."

Influence and alliance
"In order to preserve Israel's military advantage and technological superiority," said Yoav Stern, an Israeli journalist specializing in Arab and Palestinian affairs, "the participation of the Israeli foreign delegation came at the World Maritime and Air Security Summit to secure freedom of navigation in the Gulf."

The Israeli journalist explained that the security summit in Manama is a continuation of the Warsaw Summit to promote security and peace in the Middle East, which was held in February, and aims to strengthen the international alliance against Iran's policies, and to strengthen Israeli military, technological and intelligence influence in the Gulf region.

Stern told Al Jazeera Net that despite the official announcement of the participation of the Israeli delegation in the security summit, it was not disclosed the nature of participation: Is it limited to the diplomatic side only or it goes beyond the involvement of Israeli intelligence figures or companies "Cyber" specialized in technology, electronics and systems Spyware and information.

Stern believes that "Israel's foreign policy considers the security summit in Manama an opportunity to strengthen the alliance with moderate Sunni countries against Iran, in light of common challenges and issues that haunt Israel and Riyadh's strategic ally, the most important of which is the Yemen war and the withdrawal of US troops from Syria."

Opportunities and variables
Dr. Nimrod Guron, director of the Mitvim Institute for Middle East and Israel Foreign Policy, said that the participation of Israeli delegations in conferences in the Gulf is an opportunity for Israel to strengthen its position in the Middle East.

He pointed out that "the Israeli official and unofficial diplomatic incursion and the accompanying enhancement of commercial, economic, security and military influence remain behind the scenes, reinforced at a time when the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has not been resolved, which will remain despite the evasions of Tel Aviv the cornerstone of any public diplomatic relations between Israel And Arab and Islamic countries. "

The Israeli delegation's participation in the security summit in Manama is in line with the changes taking place in the Middle East, which create new opportunities for Israel in its relations with the Arab world, he said, noting that Tel Aviv received an official invitation to participate in the international exhibition "Expo 2020" In the UAE, however, these opportunities will remain limited in scope as long as there is no breakthrough in the stalemate in negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.

The foreign policy specialist for the Middle East and Israel believes that "public diplomatic confrontation and the Israeli diplomatic incursion into the Gulf come in the context of Tel Aviv's efforts to reshape its regional relations to confront Iran, and encourage and plan joint policy and decision-making processes with Arab and Gulf states, in isolation from the Palestinian cause."