According to Israeli Vice Premier Shimon Peres, Israel hopes to isolate and contain the Shi’a/Farsi spheres of power by forging open cooperation with the Sunni/Arab domain. Saudi Arabia is just as eager to contain the Iranian threat and the growing “Shi’a crescent” that, with the empowerment of the Shi’a in Iraq, has moved westward to begin to include the Shi’a regions of the Kingdom.