Biden
BidenReuters

The Habithonistim group, which is made up of former Israeli security officials and takes positions on security policy related to Israel, has addressed a list of recommendations to the Biden administration and US legislators for Middle East policy during the new administration.

Titling the paper of recommendations “How to Navigate the New Middle East”, Habithonistim concludes that “In this new Middle East, the U.S. has an important role in further promoting and consolidating the Israeli – Moderate Sunni Coalition while taking firm actions vis-à-vis Iran and the other radical forces who seek to destabilize the region and build a global network of terrorism. Now energy-independent, the U.S. has a greater margin for maneuver to lead a like-minded, interest-based coalition of regional allies to obtain sustainable peace and prosperity in the region.”

Among its recommendations to the US administration is “to further promote and consolidate the Israeli – Sunni Coalition and to focus on reaching more agreements, such as the Abraham Accords with the UAE and Bahrain, as well as the normalization with Sudan and peace treaty with Morocco.”

“These ‘ice breakers’ will lead Israel toward full normalization with the Moderate Sunni World, significantly contributing to its national security and consolidating peace and prosperity in the region,” the paper says.

Regarding policy on Iran, the paper asserts that “Negotiating a new agreement with Iran should take place while the pressure is on. Full return of Iran and the U.S. to their commitments under the JCPOA is not desirable if it means lifting of sanctions before reaching a new agreement.”

Further, the group proposes, among other things, that “any new deal should set a much longer and more binding timeframe” and “introduce a much more comprehensive verification and supervision mechanism” than the original nuclear deal.

Regarding the “Palestinian-Israeli Conflict,” the group writes, “We recommend accepting the basic Israeli national security needs which include full Israeli sovereignty over the Jordan Valley and the Jewish towns and full security responsibility over Judea and Samaria (‘the West Bank’), thus embracing the original vision set forth in the Oslo Agreements by the Rabin Government of a demilitarized Palestinian entity, with Jerusalem being the undivided capital of Israel.”