President Trump
Donald Trump, Cohen’s attorney, will plead for indictment Murkowski says it would be “appropriate” to ban Trump from returning to office The man known as “QAnon Shaman” apologizes to Trump after assaulting the Chapter MORE ordered the Pentagon to include Israel in the US military command structure for the Middle East, the Department of Defense (DOD) confirmed on Friday, a major change designed to reflect a easing of tensions between Israel and several Arab countries.
The change, which is taking place as Trump prepares to leave the White House next week, means that Israel will be moved from the US European Command to the US Central Command (Centcom), which oversees US military policy involving Arab nations. For decades, Israel has been grouped with European countries due to animosity between Israel and some Arab countries.
“DOD is reviewing [Unified Command Plan] every two years and re-evaluates all limits and relationships with the operational environment. We structure the limits to best reduce risk and protect US interests and partners, “the Pentagon said in a statement.
Reducing tensions between Israel and its Arab neighbors caused by recent “agreements with Abraham” has “provided a strategic opportunity for the United States to align key partners against common threats in the Middle East” and “will open up additional opportunities for cooperation with our commanding partners.” in the United States, ”the statement added.
The change was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.
Securing peace agreements between Israel and other countries in the Middle East and North Africa has been a key priority of the Trump administration’s foreign policy in its last days.
The United States has helped arrange agreements to normalize ties between Jerusalem and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan in agreements marking the first such agreements between Israel and any Arab countries since the 1994 pact with Jordan. The pacts have been dubbed the Abraham Accords. according to the biblical figure honored in both Judaism and Islam.
Pro-Israel groups have long pressed the country to move to Centcom to motivate cooperation between Middle Eastern countries against Iran.
In November, the Jewish National Security Institute called for the relocation, saying it would “send a strong discouraging message of unity and continue the US commitment to regional leadership,” as well as “ease the Pentagon’s way of using Israel more for operations.” regional. ”
It remains to be seen whether the change will foster such cooperation. The Israelis still have a long unresolved dispute with the Palestinians. And Jerusalem has not yet normalized relations with its southern neighbor, Saudi Arabia, the region’s largest Arab nation.