WASHINGTON (AP) – With a nod to Israel’s increasingly normalized relations with the Arab world, the Pentagon is reorganizing its global command structure to incorporate the Jewish state into the military sphere run by the head of the US Central Command.
The move, from the U.S. European command to the command on U.S. military relations and operations in the Middle East, was announced Friday. The Wall Street Journal, which first reported on the change, said it was ordered by President Donald Trump. It does not indicate changes in the base of American forces in the Middle East or Europe.
Israel has been within the European Command for decades due to the hostile nature of its relations with many Arab countries, a situation that is considered to make it difficult for the Central Command to do business with both Israel and the Arab world. . The area of responsibility of the Central Command extends across the Middle East to Central Asia, including the Persian Gulf region as well as Afghanistan and Pakistan.
In its announcement, the Pentagon said that the change to what it calls its Unified Command Plan reflects the easing of tensions between Israel and some Arab countries. Last year’s Abraham Accords, which normalized Israel’s relations with Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco and Sudan, are said to have provided “a strategic opportunity” for the United States to “establish important partners against shared threats in the Middle East ” to establish an apparent reference to the creation of a more united front against Iran.
“Israel is a leading strategic partner for the United States, and it provides additional opportunities for cooperation with our US Central Command partners, while maintaining strong cooperation between Israel and our European allies,” the Pentagon said.