Israel Grows More Isolated As Relationships Sour (interview with Robert Malley) [View All]

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n newly-confident Middle East, Israel is feeling increasingly isolated. David Greene talks with Robert Malley, Middle East and North Africa program director at the International Crisis Group, about Israel's growing isolation, following problems with Egypt and Turkey.

DAVID GREENE, host: As we just heard, Palestinian leaders plan to make their bid for statehood before the U.N. later this week. It's an uncomfortable question for Israel, and it comes at an uncomfortable time. Israel's feeling increasingly isolated in a newly confident Middle East.

And to talk about, we're joined in the studio by Robert Malley, Middle East and North Africa Program director for the International Crisis Group.

Robert, thanks for being here again.

Dr. ROBERT MALLEY: Thank you.

GREENE: Talk about the Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas. A push for statehood does not seem like it's something he might have always been in favor of. It seems like a bit of a personal turnaround for him.

MALLEY: And in some way, it goes against every instinct in his body and his entire political history. Here's somebody who's always believed in negotiations, always believed in a strong relationship with the U.S., always believed in reaching out to Israel, and frankly, has been quite skeptical about the U.N. and such institutions.

But I think it tells you something about how desperate Palestinians are, how lacking in alternatives they seem to have - they seem to see, that that leader has now chosen this time, when he has a very - supposedly a very friendly president in the White House, to choose that time to say now we're going to the U.N. and we're going to ask for statehood.

http://www.npr.org/2011/09/14/140458330/israel-grows-more-isolated-after-arab-spring