Haaretz – Egypt’s revolution is understandably causing anxiety in Israel. The nightmare scenario of a collapse of the Mubarak regime and creation of an Islamic republic across the border has for years haunted Israel’s leaders. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke yesterday of “efforts to maintain stability and security in our region,” succinctly summing up Israel’s change-averse foreign policy.

Israel cannot influence the upheavals in the Arab world, but it must not settle for expressions of concern voiced by anonymous security sources or by seeking refuge behind the worn barricades of “there’s no partner for dialogue” and “we always said you can’t trust the Arabs.” The state would do better to look beyond them and to spy out the hidden opportunity in the disruption of the old regional order. If Netanyahu plays his cards right, he could leverage the fall of neighboring regimes into a significant improvement in Israel’s relations with the United States.