Former head of Israel’s Shin Bet and current Knesset member Yaakov Perry discussed Israel’s cooperation with its neighbors to combat regional threats. Perry explained that Egypt and Jordan are important partners for Israel in the fight against ISIS, and that Israel and many of the Gulf countries share mutual concerns regarding Iran’s increasing influence.
The Cipher Brief: How has Israel cooperated with Jordan and Egypt to combat the threat of ISIS?
Yaakov Perry: There has been significant cooperation to combat ISIS and al-Qaeda threats, mainly in the Sinai Peninsula, where the Egyptian army is heavily involved in combating terrorists on a daily basis. But also north of Israel, where Al-Yarmouk, an ISIS affiliate, has set up a presence. Egypt and Jordan are important partners who share our concerns. On Israel’s part, the cooperation is based on intelligence sharing and backing the daily efforts to fight ISIS cells. Naturally, further talk on this cooperation is clandestine, as neither side has an interest in having these efforts publicly discussed.
TCB: What is the level of intelligence sharing between Israel and Egypt regarding ISIS in the Sinai?
YP: There is important intelligence coordination and cooperation on the main issues at hand and our common interests. For the benefit of preserving our productive relationship, we have a common interest that these issues not be openly discussed in the media.
TCB: It has been reported that Israel has sent 16 Cobra helicopters to Jordan, and that Israeli and Jordanian fighter pilots have participated in joint exercises. Is this a new phase of Jordanian-Israeli defense cooperation?
YP: I cannot deny or confirm reports regarding sensitive operational matters between Israel and other countries in the region, as this will not serve our chief common goal—to fight the terrorist forces of radical Islam.
TCB: How have Israel, Saudi Arabia, and some of the Gulf countries worked together to mitigate the threat posed by Iran?
YP: The Iranian issue is a mutual concern to all the countries mentioned. Israel’s Prime Minister was and is the leading international voice against the nuclear agreement with Iran and was the first Western leader to warn the world against the nuclear threat of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Saudi Arabia and the majority of the Gulf countries share our concern regarding the Iranian nuclear threat and have the same interest—to block and to limit Iran’s nuclear capabilities and Iran’s expanding influence over terrorist organizations in the Middle East (Hamas, Hezbollah, and other Islamic radical organizations). Still, there are no diplomatic and official relations between Israel and those countries. Therefore, we are talking less about an operational cooperation, but there is a mutual interest and a common concern.
TCB: Do you see the current regional turmoil as an opportunity for Israel and certain Arab States to improve relations?
YP: Yes. I strongly support a regional umbrella, which would include Israel, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, and the majority of the Gulf countries and would renew the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA). Including these moderate Arab countries can supply the sides with political backing and extensive economic support in order to accelerate the negotiations between Israel and the PA. Such an approach has the potential to encourage the Palestinians to make some compromises necessary to move forward. This kind of regional cooperation holds important positive potential to normalize relations between Israel and the Arab countries, which Israel does not yet have diplomatic relations with. Promoting a regional approach to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict can create a new phase in Middle East relations. Yet promoting such a regional settlement will not be possible without the push and fair assistance from international and Western countries, like the United States, the European Union, and Russia.
TCB: With the threat of ISIS continuing to rise and Iran gaining billions of dollars after the enactment of the nuclear deal, what more should Israel be doing to protect itself in the wake of these growing dangers?
YP: No doubt that Iran and ISIS are both gaining power and momentum. Each poses a different danger, yet both have the potential to cause destructive effects around the world and especially in the Middle East.
Israel must raise the world’s awareness to the fact that Iran has yet to prove its honesty with following the terms of the nuclear agreement. The world powers must also follow more closely Iran’s wide influence over other countries and over terrorist organizations in the region (Hamas, Hezbollah, etc.). At the same time, Israel has to prepare itself for the possibility of an asymmetric war between the Israel Defense Force (IDF) and ISIS, if ISIS approaches Israel’s northern border and poses a real risk to Israel’s North and even its center.
TCB: As the threats from ISIS and Iran continue to grow, will Israel’s role in providing security in the region grow as well?
YP: The answer is definitely positive. Israel cannot trust the Western coalition and Russia with regards to ISIS, especially as these forces are not effectively blocking ISIS’s growth and development.
