Pompeo 'very confident' other nations will follow UAE, Bahrain in signing deal with Israel

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expressed confidence in other nations to follow UAE and Bahrain in normalising relations with Israel through the Abraham Accords. While speaking to Greg Kelly on Greg Kelly Reports show, Pompeo said that he is “very confident” of it happening, whether it is in a couple of days or weeks. However, calling it the "right thing", he is hoping that other nations would “do it as quickly as possible”. 

Pompeo did not mention when this would happen but the good which is coming according to him is “recognition that hatred of Israel is not a foreign policy”. Similar to the United Arab Emirates & Bahrain, that normalised relations with Israel, US Secretary of State thinks other nations would also realise that “Israel is here to stay”.

"I am very confident that a number of other states will join what the Emiratis and the Bahrainis did. Whether that happens tomorrow or happens two weeks from now, those are sovereign decisions of those nations. I hope they'll do it as quickly as possible - not for the election, but because it's the right thing for their countries to do," Pompeo said.

"I can't tell you when, Greg. I couldn't tell you if it'll come in the next two weeks or three weeks. But what's coming that's good is the recognition that hatred of Israel is not a foreign policy. And so the Emiratis saw that, the Bahrainis have seen that, I think countries all across the Middle East, Arab nations there, understand that Israel is here to stay," he added.

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UAE said deal with Israel was not to counter Iran

Earlier, month after Israel and UAE signed the US-brokered peace deal at the White House, the United Arab Emirates said that the motive behind the agreement was not to counter Iran. A top UAE official said on September 25, however, noted that Iran’s policies over the three decades have raised concerns among the Arab nations that prompted them to look at their relationship with Israel “with fresh eyes”.

As per reports, UAE’s minister of state for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash acknowledged that it might not have been Iran’s intention but still, certain actions had an impact in the Gulf nations. In a virtual briefing on the sidelines of the remote 75-anniversary gathering of world leaders at United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Gargrash refrained from commenting if other Arab countries would follow both UAE and Bahrain in establishing a relationship with Israel. However, he advised Israel to look at these potential ties “very transactionally” and not tactically to build long-term relations.

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(With ANI inputs)

Image: AP