The QIZ conundrum

By Khalil El-Anani

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The Qualified Industrial Zones (QIZ) protocol Egypt and the US have just signed is about rather more than stimulating Egyptian-Israeli economic cooperation. Israel's 11.7 per cent input in Egyptian exports from QIZ zones is a marginal issue. What Israel really wants is to engineer a thaw in its relations with Egypt, relations that have been strained since the Al-Aqsa Intifada broke out.

Israel must be pleased with what's happening in the region. With Arafat dead, Saddam deposed, and the Americans pressuring both Syria and Iran, what else does Israel want? The answer is simple. It wants closer ties with its largest Arab neighbour.

With the removal of tariff barriers in January 2005, in accordance with WTO regulations, Egypt needs all the help it can get with its exports. Israel wants to be part of that help. What Israel is trying to do is to disassociate the Palestinian question from its ties with countries in the region. Israel needs acceptance. And what better way of gaining acceptance than by developing technical and economic links with Egypt?

The emerging regional system is based on the premise that Israel is top dog. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon wants to convince everyone that he has all the trump cards in his hand. This is a serious matter. Once Israel is accepted, once it is integrated, it could easily become an indispensable player in the regional game. Then we will all have to accommodate both Israeli ambitions and Israeli prejudices. Is this what we really want?

This week's Soapbox speaker is a writer and political analyst.