US Secretary of State hopes more Arab nations will forge formal ties with Israel

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday (local time) expressed hope that more Arab countries will establish diplomatic ties with Israel following the announcement of normalisation of country's ties with UAE.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday (local time) expressed hope that more Arab countries will establish diplomatic ties with Israel following the announcement of normalisation of country's ties with UAE. "I'm very hopeful that we will see other Arab nations join in this. The opportunity for them to work alongside - to recognize the state of Israel and to work alongside them will not only increase Middle East stability, but it will improve the lives of the people of their own countries as well," Pompeo, who is on a visit to the Middle East, said during a presser with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Pompeo on Monday met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem and discussed efforts to "address Iranian malign influence in the region", shared challenges to the US and Israel's face, and the benefit of the Abraham Accords. "We talked about chances for our countries to work together as the whole world tries to push back against this virus that came from Wuhan, China, and I'm confident there are places which our medical systems and pharmaceutical companies will build out a good solution to keep Israelis, Americans, and people all across the world safer and healthier in the weeks and months ahead," said Pompeo.

Under a historic agreement earlier this month, Israel and the UAE agreed to full diplomatic ties including the mutual establishment of embassies and beginning of open trading. Israel said it would halt its plans to formally annexe parts of the West Bank. Pompeo is on a five-day Middle-East trip that will also take him to Sudan, Bahrain and the UAE. (ANI)