Another Arab state likely to follow UAE suit in normalizing Israeli ties: Kushner

US President Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, says another Arab country is likely to establish relations with Israel following a normalization deal with the United Arab Emirates, as reports suggest Bahrain, Oman and Saudi Arabia may be the next.

In a joint statement issued by the White House on Thursday, Israel and the UAE announced that they had “agreed to the full normalization of relations.”

Delegations from Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi will meet in the coming weeks to sign bilateral agreements regarding investment, tourism, direct flights, security and the establishment of reciprocal embassies, the statement read.

Speaking to reporters after the UAE-Israel deal was announced, Kushner said, "There is a good chance that another country could make a deal with Israel in the coming days."

“We hope this is an icebreaker where Israel can now normalize relations with other countries,” he added, stressing that the US administration had been in talks with other Arab states to forge ties with Tel Aviv, too.

Asked which other countries were in the mix, he replied, “Who is next? You will find out next.”

The UAE-Israel deal marks the third such agreement the occupying regime has struck with an Arab country after Egypt (1979) and Jordan (1994).

Israel, UAE reach US-brokered agreement to establish full diplomatic ties

Israel and the United Arab Emirates agree to normalize diplomatic ties in a deal apparently brokered by US President Donald Trump that includes Tel Aviv regime’s agreement to suspend annexation of the occupied West Bank.

In recent years, Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi increased backchannel cooperation. In May, the first direct Emirati commercial flight landed in Tel Aviv and in June, the two sides announced their partnership to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.

Saudi-Israel normalization ‘an inevitability’

In an interview with CNBC on Friday, Kushner said it was inevitable that Saudi Arabia would follow the UAE’s suit in normalizing contacts with Israel. 

"I do think that we have other countries that are very interested in moving forward," he added. "And then, as that progresses, I do think it is an inevitability that Saudi Arabia and Israel will have fully normalized relations.” 

Saudi Arabia has not commented on the Israel-UAE deal. In response to a question about the Saudi silence, Kushner implied that the kingdom would take time to come around. 

"Saudi Arabia has obviously been a great leader in... (modernization), but you can't turn a battleship around overnight," he said.

US official: Bahrain, Oman expected to normalize Israeli ties

An unidentified senior American official told the Palestinian al-Quds newspaper that it was just "a matter of time" before Bahrain and Oman followed the UAE’s suit and established ties with Israel.

He cited Bahrain's decision to host the unveiling of Trump's self-proclaimed “deal of the century” last year and Oman's previous trade relations with Israel.

The deal of the century was a green light for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to impose its “sovereignty” over West Bank settlements and the Jordan Valley — some 30 percent of the West Bank.

After the deal with the UAE, Netanyahu said, “there is no change” to the annexation scheme, adding, however, that Trump had asked him to “temporarily halt” the move.

Israeli media predicts Bahrain will forge Israeli relations

A senior Israeli official told the Kan public broadcaster that Bahrain is expected to be the next country to establish official ties with Tel Aviv.

Israeli Army Radio also quoted multiple regime officials as saying that they were in “advanced contacts” with Bahrain about the potential normalization.

The Bahraini regime welcomed the UAE-Israel deal, claiming in a statement, “This historic step will contribute to strengthening stability and peace in the region.”

Palestinians rage at Israel-UAE ‘normalization deal’

Palestinian factions rage at an “agreement” reached between Israel and the UAE aimed at “full normalization” of their relations.

Palestinians have roundly condemned the agreement as a "betrayal" of Jerusalem al-Quds, Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Palestinian cause and a "stab" in the back of the Palestinian nation. 

Other Arab countries will join: Netanyahu, Trump

Netanyahu said on Thursday night that Israel had entered “new era of Israeli relations with the Arab world,” and that other deals with Arab states would follow.

Similarly, Trump emphasized, “This is a monumental step to forging ties of cooperation in the Middle East and I think you’re going to have other countries come forward. I can tell you we already do and they want to make a deal.”

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