The so-called Arab Spring has morphed into an "Islamist tidal wave" that has broken "on the decks of Israel and the U.S.," according to the Wall Street Journal’s Bret Stephens.
Democracy has failed to take a foothold in the region following the mass uprisings of last year, leaving Israel "alone in a very dangerous neighborhood," said Stephens, a Journal columnist and editorial board member.
The best historical analogy in Stephens’ estimate is to May 1967, when Jordan and Egypt united in a failed bid to destroy the Jewish state, Stephens noted during a panel discussion at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s annual conference.
Peace with the Palestinians can’t be achieved in such a fluid environment.
"This is a time to hold fast," Stephens noted. "This is a time where at a minimum Israel has to exercise maximum caution" before considering "preemptive attempts to concede territory."
Meanwhile, American credibility in the Middle East is at a historic low, according to Former Ambassador to Morocco Marc Ginsberg.
"The Americans' role as an honest broker [in the region] ... has unfortunately reached a dead end," Ginsberg said. "Unfortunately, because of mistakes by the president and his team we are now in the a dubious position here in the U.S. of being viewed not as the honest broker, but as the dishonest broker. It’s something I never thought we as Americans could pull off."
In a separate discussion, a well-known moderate Palestinian leader said that reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas "is a good thing"—though it’s likely impossible.
"The Palestinian public wants unity," said Ghaith al-Omari, executive director of the American Task Force on Palestine. However, a unity deal would legitimize Hamas and send a message to other terrorist organizations that they could find mainstream acceptance.