Arabs join Israel in 'defence crescent'

http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/world_news/Middle_East/article1\255088.ece

Arabs join Israel in ‘defence crescent’

Uzi Mahnaimi, Tel AvivPublished: 5 May 2013

ISRAEL is preparing to agree a defence co-operation deal with Turkey and three Arab states aimed at setting up an early warning system to detect Iranian ballistic missiles.

The proposal, referred to by the diplomats involved as “4+1”, may eventually lead to technicians from Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan working alongside Israelis in joint command-and-control centres.

The American-brokered plan is to build a “moderate crescent” of allied states that share a powerful vested interest in countering Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

“The plan is to start with information-sharing about Iran’s ballistic missiles,” said an Israeli official.

Israel, he said, believes President Barack Obama has no appetite for an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities. “That’s why the Americans are working on a regional alliance to deter and contain Tehran.”

Under the plan the Israelis would have access to real-time data from radar stations in Saudi Arabia and the Emirates.