That a summit in Damascus of the Middle East’s “axis of evil” – Iran, Hezbollah, Syria, and Hamas – was convened immediately following President George W. Bush’s call for a conference of “moderates” to promote an Israeli-Palestinian peace demonstrates once again how intertwined the region’s problems are. The Damascus meeting reflects Iran’s view of Israeli-Arab peace as a major strategic threat, because it would condemn it to isolation in a hostile Arab environment free of its conflict with Israel.