Israel Hopes for Rapprochement With Fifth Muslim Country Before Trump Exit

Arab World

December 23rd, 2:25pm

Asharq Al-Awsat

US White House Senior Advisor Jared Kushner looks on during a visit by Israeli envoys to Rabat, Morocco, December 22, 2020 | Photo: REUTERS

Israel is working towards formalizing relations with a fifth Muslim country during US President Donald Trump's term, which ends next month, an Israeli government minister told Ynet TV on Wednesday. The White House has brokered rapprochements between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco this year, with Morocco hosting an Israeli-US delegation on Tuesday to flesh out the upgrade in relations. Asked if a fifth country could sign up before Trump steps down on Jan 20, Israeli Regional Cooperation Minister Ofir Akunis told Ynet TV: "We are working in that direction." "There will be an American announcement about another country that is going public with the normalization of relations with Israel and, in essence, with the infrastructure for an accord - a peace accord," he said. He declined to name the country but said there were two main candidates. One is in the Gulf, he said, giving Oman as a possibility. The other candidate, further to the east, is a "Muslim country that is not small" but is not Pakistan, Akunis said. Indonesia, the most populous Muslim country, said last week it would not recognize Israel as long as Palestinian statehood demands remain unmet.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2699656/israel-hopes-rapprochement-fifth-muslim-country-trump-exit