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Trump administration ‘working very hard’ to add countries to Abraham Accords in coming weeks

“We’re working very hard on making it happen,” said a Trump administration source.

By Josh Plank, World Israel News

The Trump administration is working hard to secure a new normalization agreement between another Arab or Muslim state and Israel within the next few weeks, The Jerusalem Post reported Wednesday.

“We’re working very hard on making it happen,” a Trump administration source, who has been involved in negotiations for the Abraham Accords, told the Post on Wednesday.

According to the Post, a second Trump administration source confirmed the ongoing efforts.

So far, the U.S. has successfully brokered normalization agreements between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco.

The report did not reveal which country the U.S. is focusing on, but Indonesia, Mauritania, Niger, and Oman have been mentioned by sources in recent weeks.

Last week, a senior U.S. government official said the Trump administration is offering economic incentives to encourage Indonesia to enter a normalization agreement with Israel.

Earlier this month, Palestinian Authority (PA) officials visited Qatar and Oman to pressure the countries not to recognize Israel. In September, the PA said Israel was in talks with Oman, Comoros, Djibouti, and Mauritania.

Pakistan denied persistent rumors last month that it would be normalizing ties with Israel.

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Recent reports indicate that Saudi Arabia was delaying normalization with Israel pending the outcome of the U.S. presidential election.

There was speculation that another normalization agreement would be announced during a January visit to Israel by Vice President Mike Pence. That visit has reportedly been cancelled, however.

The Abraham Accords came as a surprise to critics of White House peace efforts. Trump’s Mideast team, led by Senior Trump advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner, ignored decades-long assumptions. Few expected success given his lack of experience but he has gradually being given his due.

JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin recently wrote, “Kushner’s work — aided as he was by the rest of the Trump Middle East team — was truly historic. Nothing else involving Israel or the American Jewish world in 2020 comes close to it in terms of its ultimate significance.”