US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo kicked off his regional tour by meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well as Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi today in Israel. Pompeo and Netanyahu discussed the Washington-brokered deal reached with the United Arab Emirates and the prospects of normalizing ties with other Arab and Muslim countries.
After his Israel stop, the secretary of state is set to visit Bahrain and Sudan, where he is expected to raise the renewal of ties with Israel. Senior officials in Sudan have made contradictory statements over contacts with Jerusalem on renewing diplomatic ties. Jerusalem was hoping for Bahrain to follow in the footsteps of the UAE, but some observers believe that after Saudi Arabia's rather chilly reaction to the deal, Bahrain might take its time.
