Washington Interested in Peace Initiative with Gulf States

The United States has expressed interest in a proposal from Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz that Israel and the Arab Gulf states sign a non-aggression accord and work toward economic cooperation, according to Channel 12 on Tuesday night.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who was briefed on the proposal during his visit to Yerushalayim two weeks ago, praised it as an “excellent initiative,” and requesting more details as well as other ideas for regional peace advanced by Katz, the news network said, citing internal documents it has obtained.

In recent days, there has been significant progress, as Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu‏‏ informed a meeting of ministers that Washington is supportive.

The U.S. State Department has contacted the Israeli Foreign Ministry about establishing a joint working group to prepare the groundwork for a regional accord.

Already as of Tuesday night, Israel’s National Security Advisor Meir Ben-Shabbat was reportedly holding discussions with the relevant officials.