The deals with the UAE and Bahrain show Israel’s economic power and favor in Washington–and expose its persecution of Palestinians in the name of “the one and only Jewish state,” as Netanyahu describes his country.

The new book ‘Blood and Oil” is an alarming portrait of Mohammed Bin Salman, the unstable, murderous 35-year-old who rules the oil-producing kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The Bahrain-Israel deal is significant because the kingdom is a virtual protectorate of the Saudis. There are serious concerns that a Saudi involvement with Israel will only lead to further tightening of measures against the Palestinian cause. And Iran will rise in prestige in Palestinian global affairs.

The latest recognition deal is clearly a win for Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump — but it could provoke popular resistance inside Bahrain, where a democratic movement was put down in 2011 with the assistance of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain’s neighbor and boss.

The Israel-UAE deal stems from the colossal failure of Trump-Netanyahu’s “Peace plan.” They could not get annexation off the ground. Annexation actually brought on the possibility of sanctions from Europe, and global isolation, and Israel found an exit ramp from the failed plan by dragging a quiet Arab partner into the light, Sam Bahour says.

A superb and indispensable new book shows that Saudi Arabia is now a murderous, one-man dictatorship — with U.S. elite complicity. Ben Hubbard of the NYT shows how the Crown Prince has cracked down on all opposition within the royal family, almost certainly ordered Khashoggi’s murder, and meantime seduced much of the western media.

The only country that supports Trump’s assassination of Soleimani is Israel. And no surprise, because the killing bogs America down in Israel’s regional conflicts in the Middle East and the “obsession” with Iran is “just not in the American interest,” says Ilan Goldenberg, formerly a foreign policy aide in the Obama administration.

Tom Friedman of the New York Times says he supported Iraq war in part to keep Israel from being surrounded by chaos in Arab world. He assures a pro-Israel audience, “Israel had me at hello. Whatever you think folks– don’t worry. In times of crisis, I know where I will be. When the Jewish state is under threat–” Though he worries if the next foreign affairs columnist will get a “buzz” for Israel.

The author of “Mornings in Jenin” was disinvited from a series of literary panels in Kuwait after criticizing the government of Saudi Arabia and Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman on social media.

The Iran/Saudi Arabia/Yemen crisis may break into war and damage the global economy, but U.S. mainstream media leaves out Israel’s deep involvement.