A series of events over recent months has increased the fears of many governments in the Middle East of the growing power of Iran and its allies. The rise of Hamas to power in the Palestinian Authority, the war between Israel and Hezbollah, and Iran's insistence on pursuing its nuclear program, have strengthened the sense among the rulers of Egypt, Jordan and the Gulf States that they are facing a wave of extremist Islam that endangers both their regimes and regional stability.

The result has been the coalescing of an "axis of moderates" in the Arab world, standing alongside Israel and the United States against Iran, Syria, Hamas and Hezbollah, with the goal of halting the rise of extremist forces and maintaining the balance of powers in the Middle East.

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The new alignment expresses itself in many ways. The Arab League has renewed its Beirut initiative for a comprehensive peace with Israel, thus facing off against calls by Iran's president for the destruction of the Jewish state. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met twice with her counterparts in the moderate Arab countries. Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan are assisting PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas in his struggle against Hamas. Egypt and Qatar attempted to intercede in a deal to obtain the release of abducted soldier Gilad Shalit, and when talks failed, they blamed Hamas and not Israel. Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni has been invited to Qatar.

From Israel's point of view, there is prime diplomatic and security significance to the organizing of friendly forces in the Arab world, with which Israel shares common interests and which oppose extremist Islam and terror. In the present situation in the PA, and in the face of the increasing threat from Iran, the chance for a renewal of the peace process occurs within a regional context. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has recognized this, and in his recent speeches has praised the "axis of the moderates." This week Olmert called for the creation of a "joint platform with them, which will help in dealing with the Palestinian issue."

However, Olmert has apparently forgotten that Israel must do its part to strengthen the axis of moderates; declarative statements are not enough. The leaders in Cairo, Amman and Riyadh will find it difficult in terms of public opinion in their countries to justify moderate positions in the face of aggressive behavior on the part of Israel, which ignores their internal and regional exigencies.

The expansion of construction in settlements and in the outposts, most of which are slated for evacuation, serves no purpose and only complicates a future solution to the conflict. The addition of Avigdor Lieberman to the government, with his extremist views on Israel's Arabs and his belligerent threats against the Palestinians and neighboring countries, shows that Israel is heading toward a showdown and not a compromise with the Arab world.

The actions of the army in the Gaza Strip in the middle of the Id al-Fitr holiday shows contempt and disregard for the feelings of the Palestinian public and the entire Muslim world. Talk of expanded military action in Gaza, which will certainly only increase with Lieberman in the cabinet, is a bad sign of things to come.

Now is the time to stop and reevaluate the government's policies, so that they will suit Israel's wider interests and not only short-term political and military considerations.