In the process, Israel has more than made up for ground it lost five years ago amid widespread Arab and Muslim anger over its tough handling of the Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation.

This month, Afghan President Hamid Karzai congratulated Mr Sharon for his 'brave' pullout from the Gaza Strip. 'The times have changed,' Mr Karzai said. 'Pakistan took a step towards Israel. We will too,' he said, adding he would like to meet Mr Sharon. Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf also described Mr Sharon as brave and sent his foreign minister, Khurshid Kasuri, to meet Israeli counterpart Silvan Shalom in Istanbul last month.

Then, at the opening of the UN General Assembly in New York in September, Mr Shalom held a discreet first meeting with Indonesian foreign minister Hassan Wirayuda.

Analysts say Israel's Gaza pullout may have facilitated this surge in contact, but the real motive on the part of those opening up to Israel is to improve their relations with Mr Sharon's ally, the US.

'Currying favour with the US is a prime factor because the US promotes normalisation with Israel and the latter presents normalisa- tion within the context of improving relations with the superpower,' said P.R. Kumaraswamy, a specialist on Israeli-Asian ties at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. 'Israeli leaders often suggest, either explicitly or implicitly, that the road to the US passes through Israel.'

Given the American presence in Afghanistan, Mr Karzai was under enormous pressure to warm towards Israel, he added.

Israel says the only way for Arab and Muslim nations to have any influence on the Palestinian issue is to have good relations with both sides in the dispute.

But Diana Buttu, an adviser to the Palestinian Authority, criticised moves towards Israel by Arab and Muslim states.

'We are very disappointed in these nations. They're moving too quickly,' she said. 'Gaza has been turned into a big prison. Rather than being rewarded, Israel should be condemned for its continued violations of international law.'

In Pakistan, Mr Musharraf's overtures to Israel have enabled him to improve the image of his country in the west, said Farzana Shaikh, a specialist in South Asian politics at London's Chatham House think-tank. 'Musharraf is keen to project Pakistan as a country dedicated to enlightened moderation and to project it as liberal and forward-looking, as a modern, mature Muslim state.'

Even Malaysia, a country whose former prime minister, Mahathir Mohamad, was known for his sharp rhetoric against Jews, has taken a small step towards Israel.

It has agreed to host Uri Zeligman, a representative of the Israeli trade ministry, at a forum in Kuala Lumpur next month, says the ministry's spokesman in Jerusalem.

David Kimche, former director-general of the Israeli foreign ministry, said the thaw in relations was forging economic potential. 'I think the Asian side is as interested as the Israeli side,' he said. 'There can be a two way traffic in hi-tech.'

But for each Muslim country moving closer to Israel, the gains with Washington must be weighed against opposition at home. Pakistan turned down an Israeli offer to send a plane carrying aid to victims of this month's earthquake, wary of angry reactions if an aircraft emblazoned with the Star of David landed on its soil. Instead, it agreed to accept aid coming through third parties only. And in Kabul, Mr Karzai made clear that formal recognition of Israel could come only if an independent Palestinian state was created.

Domestic opposition to norm-alisation flared in Bahrain last week, as parliament rejected a government decision to lift a ban on Israeli goods as part of a trade deal with the US.

'Our normalisation with Israel means if we buy their goods, they will use the returns to buy weapons to kill our Palestinian brothers,' lawmaker Isa al-Motawa said.

A different view came from Kuwait's Arab Times newspaper, where a recent editorial said: 'After a long time, we have finally decided to leave the Palestinian cause to the Palestinians, because it is they who are really concerned with this issue. Arabs will never be able to improve their economies unless they end their perpetual state of war and resort to peace.'

Domestic opposition meant many of the countries forging ties with Israel would pursue the relations behind closed doors, Mr Kumaraswamy said.

In Tunisia, a dire need for an image boost with Washington has driven the country to allow Tunisian-born Mr Shalom to attend the World Summit on the Information Society, which it is hosting on November 16. It will be the highest level visit by an Israeli to the North African nation and offers legitimacy to the conference despite Tunisia's poor record on human rights and media censorship.

'Tunisia is undergoing a bit of scrutiny and is getting bad press about internal repression and a lack of pluralism,' said Bruce Maddy-Weitzman, a Tel Aviv University specialist on North Africa. He said that hosting Mr Shalom could help persuade the US 'not to start pointing too many fingers at Tunisia'.

He warned, however, that Israel's gains in the Muslim world could be reversed if there was a crisis in the region. 'Relations change with changing circumstances. The ties are still fragile,' he said.