According to two US officials familiar with the conversation, Trump sent this message to the leaders of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain. During the talks, the topic of the emerging agreement with Iran was brought up, and some leaders, among them UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed, expressed their support for the process.
An American official stated that Trump then announced a conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and said that he expected the Israeli leader to be involved in the same format of negotiations soon.
According to the same sources, countries that are not yet part of the Abraham Accords or do not have signed peace agreements with Israel are expected to join the process of normalizing relations.
Such a request, especially from the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Pakistan, caused surprise, given that these countries do not have formal diplomatic relations with Israel. One US official described the reaction by saying:
“There was silence on the line, and Trump joked and asked if they were still there.” He then announced that his son-in-law Jared Kushner and envoy Steve Witkoff would deal with the issue in the coming weeks.
On Sunday, on the Truth Social platform, Trump thanked the Middle Eastern countries for their support and cooperation and stated:
“I would like to thank, so far, all the countries of the Middle East for their support and cooperation, which will be further enhanced and strengthened by their joining the nations of the historic Abraham Accords”.
At the same time, he also mentioned the possibility of Iran one day joining those agreements, which would also imply recognition of Israel.
However, faster progress in this process seems unlikely at the moment. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman previously showed willingness to normalize relations, but in the past period he softened that attitude.
Saudi officials continue to insist that Israel accept an irreversible and time-bound path to a Palestinian state, which the Israeli government rejects, while American and Israeli officials do not expect significant developments before Israeli elections scheduled for September.
(Vijesti.ba)
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