Israel continues to strive for integration with Arab states, says minister

Israel remains interested in normalizing diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia and other Arab states, said Economy Minister Nir Barkat, even though these plans have been thwarted by the October 7 attack and the war with Hamas.

Asked whether Israel would resume talks with Saudi Arabia, Barkat told Bloomberg Television's “Balance of Power”: “I think so.”

He said Israel wants to expand the Abraham Accords, which were signed under the Trump administration and established relations with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

“I see the Saudis and other moderate Arab states, including possibly Indonesia and others, waiting for an opportunity to join and expand the Abraham Accords – we bless them,” Barkat said.

“It's in our best interest, it's in their best interest, it's in America's best interest to ally with the moderate Arab states,” he added. “They write big checks. They're interested in cooperation and integration with the West. And we're the gateway to that.”

Before the war, the US sought to normalize relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, in part to create a regional bulwark against Iranian influence. Iran supports Hamas and the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon, both of which the US classifies as terrorist organizations.

But those efforts collapsed after the October 7 attack in which Hamas militants killed 1,200 Israelis and took around 250 hostages, sparking a war that left around 41,000 Palestinian dead, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, and sparked outrage in Arab capitals.

With support from Kailey Leinz and Joe Mathieu.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without any modifications.