US envoy claims another Arab state will recognise Israel in 2 days 

The US Ambassador to the UN claimed yesterday that another Arab state will recognise Israel within the next couple of days, following the recent normalisation agreements made by the UAE and Bahrain.

“Well, it could be today,” Kelly Craft told Al-Arabiya. “There will be one in the next day or two.”

Although Craft did not explicitly name the next Arab country, she did say, “We will certainly welcome the fact that Saudi Arabia will be next, but what is important is that we focus on the agreements and do not allow the Iranian regime to exploit the good intentions of Bahrain, the Emirates or Israel.”

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The interview was aired following King Salman Bin Abdulaziz’s debut address at the UN General Assembly, the first Saudi monarch to speak at the UN in over 20 years. As part of his speech, King Salman took aim at Iran, calling on world powers to find a comprehensive solution for dealing with Iran’s “expansionist activities”. He also called for the disarming of Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement, blaming it for the August explosion at Beirut port.

In response, Iran’s Foreign Ministry claimed that the Saudis are the chief financers and sponsors of terrorism in the Middle East. The ministry added that Riyadh is trying to deflect blame for war crimes committed by its forces against the Yemeni people.

Last month US President Donald Trump stated that he expected Saudi Arabia to make a peace agreement with Israel, although Riyadh has suggested that it is committed to the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, which offers Israel full recognition in exchange for the realisation of Palestinian statehood. Trump’s son-in-law and senior advisor, Jared Kushner, also claimed that normalisation with Israel would be in Saudi’s economic interests and would weaken Iran’s regional influence.

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