Former security chief: Israel should have a security agreement with its neighbours

The former head of Israel’s internal security apparatus called for a regional agreement with Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority to ward off the mounting security threat posed by the rising insurgency in Syria and Iraq.

In an article published by Haaretz on Sunday, Yuval Diskin said Israel “cannot ignore the many troubling processes underway in a changing Middle East”.

“Iran continues working on its nuclear programme; Syria is knee-deep in blood and flooding with jihadist combatants. The conflict there is affecting Lebanon’s stability as Syrian refugees pour in. Iraq is also falling apart; the Saudi kingdom is making overtures toward Iran.

“The current Egyptian leadership is embroiled in conflict with the Muslim Brotherhood, and dealing with countless other economic issues. Jordan is trying to survive the waves of Syrian – and possibly soon also Iraqi – refugees, amid an unstable economy and internal instability of its own. Libya is descending into tribalism. Worst of all… is that Hamas and Fatah are in a process of reconciliation once again, which may collapse yet again following the kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers, allegedly by Hamas.”

Diskin explained that the situation in the region has led to changes in the political processes and these “all create new opportunities and seemingly common interests for the four key players”, in reference to Tel Aviv, Jordan, Egypt and the Palestinian Authority.

The regional agreement, he explained, should involve security and intelligence coordination among the four sides and should be overseen by the Quartet, with the support of Saudi Arabia, the UAE and “perhaps” Turkey.