President Trump
Donald Trump, a Cohen advocate for Trump, and Murkowski say it would be “appropriate” to keep Trump out of office again. Man known as ‘QAnon Shaman’ apologizes to Trump after storming Capitol MORE. ordered the Pentagon to include Israel in the U.S. military command structure for the Middle East, the Department of Defense (DOD) confirmed Friday, a major change intended to ease tensions between Israel and several Arab countries.
The move, which comes as Trump prepares to leave the White House next week, means Israel is being moved from the US European Command to the US Central Command (Centcom), which oversees US military policy involving Arab countries. Israel has been with European countries for decades due to hostility between Israel and some Arab countries.
“DOD assesses the [Unified Command Plan] every two years and reevaluate all boundaries and relationships to the operating environment. “We are structuring borders to best reduce risks and protect US interests and partners,” the Pentagon said in a statement.
The easing of tensions between Israel and its Arab neighbors brought about by the recent ‘Abraham Accords’ provided a strategic opportunity for the United States to align key partners with shared threats in the Middle East. and ‘will provide additional opportunities for cooperation with our US Central Command partners,’ “the statement added.
The change was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.
In his last days, securing peace agreements between Israel and other countries in the Middle East and North Africa was a major priority for the Trump administration’s foreign policy.
The US has helped reach agreements to normalize ties between Jerusalem and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan in agreements that are the first such agreements between Israel and any Arab countries since the treaty with Jordan in 1994. Abraham votes corresponding to the biblical figure revered in Judaism and Islam.
Pro-Israel groups have long insisted on moving the country to Centcom to motivate cooperation between the Middle East countries against Iran.
The Jewish National Security Institute of America called for the resettlement in November, as it would send a strong deterrent message of unity and the continued American commitment to regional leadership, as well as’ the way for the Pentagon to Israel more to use for regional operations. ”
It remains to be seen whether the switch will promote such cooperation. Israelites still have a long unresolved dispute with Palestinians. And Jerusalem has yet to normalize relations with its southern neighbor, Saudi Arabia, the region’s most important Arab nation in the region.