President Herzog Warns Israel Not To Burn Bridges With Its Regional Allies

Israeli President Isaac Herzog. (Wikimedia Commons/Spokesperson unit of the President of Israel/Kobi Gideon0

JAKARTA - As Israeli Arab partners gather with other Middle Eastern countries in Doha to call for action against Israel, President Isaac Herzog called on Israel not to ignore its relations with its regional allies.

There are many countries, he said at a national memorial service for the late president and prime minister of Israel, "whom with him, in addition to differences of opinion sometimes have very deep disagreements, and even the position I strongly reject Israel has a broad and significant relationship with these countries, including important economic relations," he said. , quoted from The Times of Israel September 15.

"They are part of a world facing the West where we want to stay, and in these countries there is also great and important public support for Israel, which wants to hear our voices," Herzog said.

"Therefore, we must act diplomatically and with public diplomacy, with the aim and determination, not ignoring any arena, talking to everyone, and being proactive. We must not leave our relationship. We must not burn our bridge," he continued.

President Herzog said Israel should not "receive the isolation it wants to force our enemies into us."

Although Herzog did not name him, a source in his office said he meant primarily the United Arab Emirates.

At the same time, he acknowledged "Israel has never experienced such hostilities. Of course not in the most strategic and influential arena. Hate for Israel is appearing at full strength, forcing us to stand up and fight it by all means, in all lines. "

Israel launched an attack targeting Hamas officials in Doha, Qatar last week. It drew strong criticism from the United Nations, Arab and Islamic countries and the international community, including the United States.

Arab League countries and Islamic Cooperation Organizations (OICs) held a meeting on Sundays and Mondays to prepare a response to the attack.

The draft resolution, which emerged from Sunday's meeting, seen by Reuters, did not mention any diplomatic or economic steps against Israel, but warned it threatens the normalization of relations.

Quotes from a draft resolution seen by Reuters state, "Israel's brutal attacks on Qatar and continuing Israel's hostile actions, including genocide, ethnic cleansing, hunger, siege, colonization activity, and expansion policies, threaten the prospects for peace and coexistence in the region."

These actions threaten "Everything that has been achieved in an effort to normalize relations with Israel, including existing and future agreements," according to the draft, drawn up by foreign ministers meeting ahead of the summit.

It is known that Abraham Accords, which bridges Israel's relations with Arab countries, was signed by Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, and Israel on September 15, 2020 in Washington DC, United States. Morocco followed December 2020 and Sudan January 2021.