Incidents With Iranian & Libyan Governments Prove That Anti-Israel Hostility Continues to Run Deep

Israel’s diplomatic relations have expanded significantly in recent years, with new or expanded ties with Morocco, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and more. But other, more recent incidents have shown that anti-Israel hostility remains normalized in much of the Middle East.

In August, an Iranian athlete was photographed shaking the hands of an Israeli competitor, and he was swiftly punished. Days earlier, it was revealed that Libya’s foreign minister met her Israeli counterpart in Rome, and she was immediately fired, and had to flee to Turkey. Peace between Israel and all its neighbours cannot take place until acceptance and tolerance, not rejectionism and hostility, are normalized.