Officials in Jerusalem believe that US President Joe Biden will announce the establishment of some kind of regional security agreement to include Israel; Saudi Arabia; signatories to the Abraham Accords the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan; Egypt, and Jordan on his upcoming trip to the region.
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Sources with knowledge of the development say that while the announcement – aimed largely at contending with the increasing Iranian threat to the region – will not herald the normalization of ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia, it will result in security cooperation between the two states.
The move is an initiative of Defense Minister Benny Gantz, who has been working to promote it over the last six months and discussed the issue with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin just last month.
Addressing the subject in a speech at the Israel Defense Prize ceremony, Gantz said: "The partnership and deep ties with our American partners and allies, as well as the ties we are forging and bolstering in recent years with regional states, are also a vital component in Israel's superiority in the region. Even at this time, we are continuing to act to expand these ties, to bolster and deepen the peace with Egypt, Jordan, and the Abraham Accord countries, to build partnerships in the economy, the environment, and in security."
He added: "As Iran has rejected attempts to reach a nuclear deal and continued its acts of defiance, there is a need not only for cooperation but for the building of an American-led joint, regional force that will empower each of the partners. That is what we are working on."
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