Israel’s intelligence chief Eli Cohen said five additional countries — Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Morocco and Niger — are “on the agenda” amid a White House effort to convince Middle Eastern leaders to recognize the Jewish state.
“These are the five countries,” Cohen told Israel’s Ynet TV on Monday. So far, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have signed agreements normalizing ties with Israel amid a Trump administration effort dubbed the Abraham Accords. Sudan’s leaders have also signaled their willingness to recognize Israel.
The initiative is being touted in the United States as a political win for President Donald Trump ahead of his reelection bid Tuesday. But it could have strategic implications for both Israel and the United States, given Iran’s apparent military and political ambitions in the region and the end of the United Nations arms embargo on Tehran.
“If the Trump policy continues, we will be able to reach additional agreements,” Cohen said Monday, according to Reuters. Cohen's comments came a day before the US presidential vote in which Trump faces a tight contest for reelection.
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