Tzipi's friend, the new Arab League Secretary General
Op-ed: The Arab League selected its new secretary general after much backroom dealing; while photographed previously in an amicable pose with Tzipi Livni, he is no friend of Israel.
The fiery debate over the appointment of a new chairman for the Arab League in Cairo lasted six hours. The League contains 21 member states minus Syria, who was ejected due to Bashar Assad's violence. Qatar, Sudan and Algeria insisted on including a caveat regarding the Egyptian candidate, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, that he will dedicate himself to his tasks and not exceed his powers.
Eventually, Aboul Gheit was chosen because of a deal: Egypt will get the Arab League, provided it supports the Qatari candidate for the secretary general of UNESCO. Now it’s the Arab world's turn to compete for UNESCO. Although Egypt had presented a worthy candidate, it will have to give him up. To an outside observer, it is unclear which position, that in Cairo or that in Brussels, has greater influence.
During the debate on Thursday evening, a military exercise in Saudi Arabia concluded with the participation of 20 Arab and Muslim countries. It was not called "Northern Thunder" merely by coincidence; it was intended to point out the challenges of the attack north of the Persian Gulf. Salman, the elderly Saudi king, sat on the dignitaries' podium and watched a fleet of planes, tanks and commandos attacking the targets and concentrations of the "enemy."
It is fascinating to realize that Israel is no longer "the enemy" and that the military exercise was intended to organize the Arab line against the Shiite camp: Against Iran, Hezbollah, and the Houthis in Yemen. In a moment of boasting, one of the servants pouring water on the Saudi king's hands announced that the demonstration of muscular firepower was intended to signal the establishment of a kind of NATO-force for the Arab world.
Then, in a non-coincidental bit of coordination, the Arab League's headquarters in Cairo send down the dramatic announcement that Hezbollah is now defined as a terrorist organization. What more could Jerusalem ask for?
The Arab League in Cairo this month will mark 71 years since its establishment. There is no reason to celebrate. This institution, which has openly expressed its desire to be a counterweight to the United Nations headquarters in New York and later tried to emulate the European Union, reflects today the loss of power in the Arab world. Even the attempt to organize a summit of leaders received a slap in the face. The king of Morocco waived the privilege to host the rulers who have no common interest, not even the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Cairo tried to sell the Secretary-General designate Aboul Gheit by emphasizing his reputation of being a "quiet diplomat." Only he will succeed in bridging differences, thanks to his strong nerves. Outside of Egypt, "the friend of Tzipi Livni" was ridiculed, and they made sure to bring up the joint photograph in which they were smiling. Livni, then foreign minister, came out to support Operation Cast Lead in Gaza, and Aboul Gheit said that he wouldbreak the legs of Palestinians who try to sneak from Rafah into Egypt.
I know Aboul Gheit from his seven years as foreign minister and from the host of positions that he held previously. Our intelligence papers called him "the model," and every intelligence agency belittled his slender figure.
