A country needs relationships (friends don't exist in politics).

The world is full of dubious regimes.......EU leadership is one of them as nobody voted for them!

That will bring only more parasite illegals from that bloody filthy continent

case you haven’t noticed!
So is bloody China, so is damned Russia, so is perfidious Albion....
Is that reason enough not to engage them?!
Idiotic notion from yet another “only not Bibi” cretin.

filthy despots,it just invites deeper hostility from the masses

& murderous criminals! enough with the light upon the nations!

the media would be drooling over the achievement, and heralding the approach of a new Messianic Age.

The Left falls all over itself trying to sit with Palestinian leaders.The Palestinians know this so they squeeze free concessions out of talks that are going nowhere. There is no point for Israel to negotiate the Trump plan or whatever plan when Palestinians reject a Jewish state to begin with while Israel is demanded to acknowledge accepting a Palestinian state. It's no great honour to sit with the murderous Palestinian leaders and Israel shouldn't do so unless it's stated that the end goal includes a Jewish majority Israel for the long term. (not some truce in exchange for the West Bank).

Shimrit Meir is on a real downer,Israel having good cordial relations with the arab world can only be a positive development ,so why the long face ? THIS IS REASON TO BE CHEERFUL !

or Livni or Hertzog ...All world is full of trashy countries and corrupt leaders. But at moment Israel is on the right road internationaly. Just avoid getting involved physically in African Wars

makes Israel stronger.

Let those 'islam" countries (organization of islamic cooperation, between 50 and 60 countries, with a following of almost 2 billion) first end/finish/abolish "islam", to be attractive to the free, human and democratic world, including Israel. For example "islam" is an undemocratic, apartheid and dictatorial ideology and a fake-religion. Look at the quoran, sharia and jihad, to name a few.

It astounds me that not a single Jewish commentator here understands the author's point. To wit:
"For a photo op with a Muslim or Arab leader, left- and right-wing Israeli leaders are ready to pay a HEAVY PRICE, and sometimes it is really not worth it. "
For those clueless talkbackers, the recent "heavy price" was 500 missiles shot at Israel without so much as a peep from the gutless, spineless dictator, Kim Jong bibi. Just yesterday there was an article about traumatized children in the South living in bomb shelters on and off for years. But hey, they are Mizrahim, so who cares, right? All for a meaningless photo-op: "Full diplomatic relations will not be established for now".
To the author: Your next piece should be on why I have never heard an Israeli head of state publicly tell another head of state, or declare loudly at the UN, that there has never been a country named p-stine, that it is a fiction created by the KGB and Arabs, etc. I certainly have never heard it, ever, stated forcefully, publicly, and repeatedly by anybody in authority. Israelis have to ask themselves: If this stupid generation hears the same "Big lie" over and over from the arabs, while the Jews never forcefully and publicly state the true history, why be surprised when this idiotic sound-byte generation turns against us?"

This story reminds me of how that traitor Ehud barak pleaded with the syrians to just take the golan, please. The syrians hate Jews so much that even with the prospect of such a great prize, they would not be seen publicly talking to Jews. Hence the Turks served as mediators, running back and forth between different hotel rooms.
This is exactly what the author is writing about: the pathetic need for recognition.

Countries are no different than individual relationships: if they're not into you, don't embarrass yourself by begging. Nothing good will come of it. Plenty of people around the world admire Jews. Why chase after those that hate you now, and always will?

we're in a different world today... old norms no longer apply...

Formal recognition guarantees.... what?

FROM AFRICA TO THE MIDDLE EAST THEY NEED US TO BE THEIR BROKER WITH THE UNITED STATES. BIBI GOES GAGA. STOP WASTING MONEY TRAVELING TO THOSE COUNTRIES. STAY HOME AND VISIT THE NEGEV FOR A CHANGE ITS A SHORT TRIP.

it is good for Israel to develop relations with numerous countries period. but it should be sanguine about it. lapid boasts about Saudi regional peace moves. saudi can guarantee nothing. iran could take it over in 72 hours. egypt likewise can guarantee nothing. israel has to deal directly with sinwar though strength and nothing else.

netanyahu is a big talker but not much of a doer. he says Israel will gain sympathy by being strong and not conceding lands. what has he been doing in the wye accords- conceding and later offering much of the west bank. and even with hamas he offers concessions in one sided ceasefires. he is bs artist plain and simple.

i doubt that he has been steadfast before Putin or trump. he has not attacked syrian transfers since putin warned. he does'\t have the guts on his own.

Israel will gain respect by being strong and for itself. it doesn't need sympathy. in the meantime, it should reach out which is why i said bibi is good as a trade and tourism minister. he should have nothing to do with security as he shrinks from challenges.

How one stays alive in the daffy, fanatical ME.

Meir is obviously worried Israelis are starting to forget that vital point.

Remember well what all those years of running after the Turks really earned you at the end of the day.

Israel needs to work towards good relationships with its neighbors, independently their political structure.
Any Arab country is as little ideal in its political system, as are all western countries.
Israel should take the stance Russia takes - it respects each partner, calls even it's notorious adversaries partners and is waiting for improvement, is not aggressively reacting to Western provocations, is not trying to teach how to live, is not invading illegally any one, do not organize orange revolutions, do not blame others for its mistakes - but in the same token it is slowly by slowly improving its stand by example and wisdom, and last but not least are strengthening their military to fend off any aggression. It is happening, because Putin is defending Russia's NATIONAL interests, and is not dancing to any other foreign music.
If Merkel would do the same, along with the whole EU, they wouldn't have the millions refugees now, if Poroshenko would follow his duties as Ukrainian president, Kiev would have no tensions with Russia, if Baltic's leadership would do the same, they would have flourishing economies, and not diminished young population fleeing from home abroad, etc.

Israel does not have the luxuries to have a big country with a lot reserves - it better follows it's own interest STRICTLY and ALWAYS, independently which music is playing loudest.

the columnist represents the ever diminishing influence of the Tel
Aviv Manic Depressed Post Zionist Left ever trying to demoralize
the citizens of the only Jewish Homeland . Maybe there should
be a law making those who hold public microphones and newscasters
and columnists to take a mental health exam before being allowed o spread their illness into our homes .......