Watch part two

The war on Iraq in 2003 effectively neutralised an implacable enemy of Israel. The Iraqi army - once a great concern to Israeli military generals - was defeated and disbanded.

Nouri al-Maliki, the Iraqi prime minister, is faced with balancing the interests of the Americans and the passions of his people. When it comes to Israel, the two are often incompatible.

Some Iraqi political factions want to normalise relations with Israel. But most Iraqis remain deeply hostile.

So, if Iraq is today no longer part of an Arab front facing Israel, is it only a question of time before Baghdad joins the Arab fold?

Our guests this week are Anas Altikriti, an Iraqi political analyst, and Mordechai Kedar from Bar Ilan University in Tel Aviv.

This episode of Inside Iraq aired from Friday, April 03, 2009.