“The Muslim Brotherhood is not a terror threat to the U.S.,” Rose Kelanic, director of the Middle East programme at Defense Priorities, told MEE. “The argument people make is that it could be a threat to Israel.”
“I think the reason we [the U.S.] are doing this, is because Israel wants the U.S. to do it,” she added.
“These are the countries of greatest interest to Israel. If Trump follows through, it would strengthen the idea that Israel is surrounded by terrorist groups. This could be a U.S. imprimatur for further Israeli attacks on Lebanon,” Kelanic said.
Kelanic said that while Trump’s move would be “seemingly low-cost” for the U.S., it could have implications for domestic Israeli politics as Netanyahu seeks to remain in office amid a corruption trial.
Netanyahu said last week that Israel is looking to “complete the process” of banning the Muslim Brotherhood, which Kelanic said could foreshadow a crackdown on Palestinian parties in Israel.
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