Forgotten peace process

Dr. Maha Azzam, an associate fellow at Middle East and North Africa Program at the British think-tank Chatham House, told Xinhua that popular protests in Egypt and other countries across the Middle East will distract some of the attention from the Israel-Palestinian peace process.

"Inevitably, what is happening on the ground in the region, in terms of a challenge to regimes, is going to take much of the attention of countries in the region, and also of the U.S.," Azzam said.

One example for this lack of attention could be that there has been no condemnation from the international community over Israel's latest plans to build an army college in East Jerusalem, which the Palestinians see as the capital for their future independent state.

Prof. Yossi Shain, from the department of political science at Tel Aviv University, said while the peace process might be out of focus at the moment, this may change in March, when the Israeli attorney general is expected to decide whether or not to indict Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman.

Lieberman, who heads the second largest party in the Israeli government, Yisrael Beiteinu, is under investigation for obstruction of justice, bribery and money laundering.

"Everything is on hold, but by the end of March we will get some clarity and then things may move," Shain said.

He also noted that both the U.S. and regional leaders are waiting to see what will happen to the Palestinian plan to submit to the United Nations Security Council a resolution condemning Israeli settlement construction. If the resolution reaches the council, the U.S. is expected to veto it.

But Shain was hopeful regarding the peace process, saying that "there may be some big impetus to push it forward rapidly after that."

New and old allies

According to David Harris, executive director of the American Jewish Committee, a U.S.-based advocacy group, the publication of the Wikileaks files proved Israel's point that regional leaders are more concerned by Iran than the frozen peace process. The Persian Gulf states see Iran as a threat, and have been asking the U.S. to deter the Islamic state.

As the venerable Mideast saying goes, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend," many Arab states in the region may see Israel as a "stealth ally" in countering Iranian influence.

Yoel Guzansky, a research fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, said he believes the new regional layout may be in Israel's advantage, as the lines between Sunni Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt versus Shiite Muslim in Iran have become sharper.

"Since 2006, with the end of the Lebanon war, we have seen this shift between Sunni and Shiite," Guzansky said, adding that while the protests in Tunisia and Egypt have focused on reforms, the Shiite majority's protests in Bahrain are meant to overthrow the country's small Sunni ruling elite.

"It's true that the focus has shifted," Guzansky said, "with Israel standing as a calm and stable place in the eyes of the West."