The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubiostated on Friday that more countries are willing to normalize their relations con Israelbut that the decision will depend on a regional agreement wider.
Rubio, who arrived in Israel on Thursday to evaluate the ceasefire promoted by Washington in Gaza, said that a lasting end to the conflict could encourage more countries to join the so-called Abraham Accords.
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Several Arab countries — the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco — normalized their relations with Israel in 2020 as a result of these agreements.
“There are many countries that want to join” the agreements, said the North American Secretary of State.
“I think there are some countries that could probably join right now if they wanted to, but we want to do something big about it, so we’re working on it,” Rubio told reporters.
“I think it would be great and could be an additional positive consequence” of the ceasefire in Gaza, he added.
Rubio did not mention specific countries, but assured that there were “some more important than others.”
Saudi Arabia held talks with the United States to normalize its relations with Israel, which would be a historic milestone as it is home to the two holiest sites in Islam.
However, the Gulf kingdom backtracked on normalization after the outbreak of war in the Gaza Strip, triggered by Hamas’s attack on Israel in October 2023.
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Both US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu consider the Abraham Accords a great achievement.
But Saudi Arabia has insisted it cannot normalize relations without moving toward an independent Palestinian state, a prospect Netanyahu opposes.