Trump Urges Middle Eastern Countries to Normalize Relations with Israel Following Peace Agreement with Iran
US President Donald Trump has called on leaders of Middle Eastern nations and Pakistan to normalize relations with Israel. During a conference call held on May 23, leaders from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan—countries without diplomatic ties to Israel—participated. Trump expressed hope that once the US-Iran conflict ends, even countries without existing ties to Israel will join a peace agreement.
President Trump engaged in a conference call with leaders from Middle Eastern countries and Pakistan, urging them to join the Abraham Accords and improve relations with Israel. This proposal follows the anticipated peace agreement aimed at ending hostilities between Washington and Tehran. The call on Saturday, May 23, included leaders from Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey.
Trump conveyed optimism that following the resolution of tensions with Iran, countries currently lacking peace agreements with Israel would move to establish improved diplomatic relations with Tel Aviv. Representatives from Qatar, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia, all of which do not hold diplomatic ties with Israel, expressed surprise at the White House’s unexpected proposal. A US official present during the call noted an interesting detail: after Trump’s announcement, the phone line was silent for a brief period.
The US president indicated that further discussions would take place in the coming weeks involving his special envoy Steve Whitaker and businessman Jared Kushner. Earlier, Trump had hinted on the social media platform Truth Social that Iran might also join the Abraham Accords in the future. The Abraham Accords are historic agreements mediated by the US in 2020-2021 between Israel and several Arab states. Under these accords, Bahrain, Morocco, and the UAE normalized relations with Israel in 2020, while Sudan announced its intention to establish diplomatic ties in 2021. Prior to these accords, only Egypt and Jordan had formal diplomatic relations with Israel.
