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November 02, 2020, 06:58 AMlatest revision November 02, 2020, 08:04 AM
Yonatan Sindel/Flash90Former Economy Minister Eli Cohen at a ceremony at the Economy Ministry in Jerusalem on May 18 2020.
Israel’s intelligence minister cited as hoping Trump policy to continue, lambasting Obama’s Mideast approach
Saudi Arabia and Morocco are on the list of five countries that could possibly normalize ties with Israel next, Israel’s Intelligence Minister Eli Cohen told Ynet.
In an interview published Monday, the official said that ties with Oman, Qatar and Niger were also on the table.
The minister hinted that Israel’s future diplomatic gains could depend on the outcome of the presidential vote in the US on November 3.
Israel will work with any president-elect, Cohen said, while at the same time praising the current US policy in the Middle East and saying Jerusalem hoped there would be no changes in the course: “If [US] President Donald Trump’s policy continues, we can reach more agreements.”
He also took a veiled jab at Trump’s rival, former Vice President Joe Biden, saying that President Barack Obama’s Middle East policy was too “permissive and conciliatory.”
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“This approach does not work in the Middle East,” Cohen asserted.
The interview follows Israel’s historic breakthroughs with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan, all brokered by the current US administration.
Earlier this week, the UAE government ratified a host of agreements between Abu Dhabi and Jerusalem on Sunday, including visa exemptions for visiting nationals of both countries.
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