Knesset - Tag Search

Israel's deputy foreign minister, Danny Ayalon, thinks that Israeli Arab villages should be annexed by a future Palestinian state, in exchange for Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.

Ayalon proposed the "population swaps" during a wide-ranging interview in London (عربي) with Al-Sharq Al-Awsat. Ayalon essentially argues that Israel's Arabs aren't full citizens, because (unlike Jews and Druze men) they're not subject to mandatory military service. So he proposes redrawing Israel's future borders to make those Arab villages a part of Palestine -- a move which would eliminate a demographic pressure on the Jewish state.

One thing we haven't really discussed, amidst the latest round of rumors about a possible deal for Gilad Shalit's release, is the political ramifications of such a deal within Israel.

Shalit's plight has taken an outsized role in Israeli politics and public life, so his release, by itself, would give Netanyahu a big political boost. But there's a potential complication: If yesterday's press reports are accurate, Netanyahu will be releasing hundreds of Palestinian militants to secure Shalit's release.

Yossi Beiditz, the IDF's senior intelligence official, testified before a Knesset committee today. I think his analysis of Syria's foreign policy gets it largely right.

"In the estimate of the IDF Intelligence Branch, should Syria encounter a dilemma in the [region] after a deal with Israel, it will be willing to cool off its ties with Iran, Hezbollah, and the Palestinian groups," he said.

Bashar al-Assad is playing both sides right now, using his ongoing relationship with Iran to win concessions from the West and from other Arab states. But that state of affairs can't continue indefinitely; a regional conflict would force Assad to choose sides. And with Iran going through political unrest and economic turmoil, Assad would probably choose the West.