The visit to Israel last week by the foreign ministers of Egypt and Jordan, coming as official representatives of the Arab League, was a historic event. The visit, which was the first time that such a delegation had met with members of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, was aimed at advancing the Arab peace initiative and creating momentum that would enable the sides to move toward implementation of the vision of two states, Israeli and Palestinian, living side by side in peace.

What began as the Saudi initiative, when it was first published in 2001 and adopted by all of the members of the Arab League, is the first peace proposal in the history of the Israeli-Arab conflict to have been proposed by the Arab League countries. Until recently, it did not seem to be on its way to implementation, in part because Israel did not see in it a proper a basis for negotiations. Now though, it may be on track, after the Arab collective created for the first time, at the Riyadh summit in March, a mechanism for dialogue with Israel in the context of the initiative. The two foreign ministers visited Israel against the background of a new geo-strategic reality, which is characterized by increasing Iranian involvement in the region.

Just a few weeks before the visit, Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip. This takeover, which was accomplished with Iran's support, was another link in what is being perceived as a chain of successes by radical Islamic elements in the region. Hamas rule in the Gaza Strip has posed a new challenge not only for Israel but also for Jordan and Egypt, in both of which the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas' mother movement, constitutes opposition to the regime. The inspiration that the Hamas victory in Gaza could provide the radical Islamic movements in Jordan, Egypt, the Gulf and North African states is obvious to their rulers.