Netanyahu hails 'hugs' between Arab and
Israeli army commanders
Israeli PM talked about Israeli
normalisation efforts with Gulf states during the handover
ceremony for Israel's new army chief
MEE staff
Middle East Eye,
16 January 2019
Gadi Eisenkot, left, Benjamin
Netanyahu and the new Israeli army Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi
take part in a handover ceremony
on 15 January (AFP)
Outgoing Israeli army chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot met the
commanders-in-chief of several Arab armies during his four-year
term, Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said on
Tuesday.
During a retirement celebration for Eisenkot, who has served
as the 21st chief of the army's general staff since 2015,
Netanyahu said that "Israel's ability in intelligence, military
and technology made ties with the Arab world strong like never
before", adding that "prominent Muslim states" were approaching
Israel and seeing it "not as an enemy, but a supporter".
The prime minister credited the outgoing chief of staff for
being part of the change in Muslim and Arab states' attitude
vis-a-vis Israel.
"Gadi, you were part of it and you witnessed it, in your
meetings with commanders-in-chief of armies of Arab states. You
saw the hugs, and there are pictures of these hugs," Netanyahu
said.
Eisenkot's retirement celebration also saw the mantle passed
on to his successor, Aviv Kochavi.
You saw the hugs, and there are pictures of
these hugs
- Benjamin Netanyahu
|
During 37 years in the military, Kochavi has commanded
Israeli soldiers operating in the occupied West Bank, the Gaza
Strip and Lebanon, and has headed the army’s operations and
intelligence directorates.
Netanyahu's revelation about the "hugs" with Arab military
leaders comes as Middle East Eye reported
last week that Mossad director Yossi Cohen
attended a meeting in a Gulf capital in early December with
senior intelligence officials from the UAE, Saudi Arabia and
Egypt, with whom he discussed measures to curtail the regional
influence of Turkey and Iran.
MEE also reported last
week that the leader of Israel’s Labor Party, Avi Gabbay, has
secretly visited Abu Dhabi and met with senior UAE officials
there in early December.
The UAE, like most Arab countries, does not have official
diplomatic ties with Israel and does not officially recognise
the state of Israel.
However, Israeli Minister of sport and culture Miri Regev
travelled to the UAE in October to attend a judo tournament in
which an Israeli competitor was allowed to compete under
Israel's flag and sing its anthem for the first time in the UAE.
It was the first time an Israeli minister has made an
official visit to the Emirates.
Netanyahu also visited Oman, which does not recognise Israel,
in November, and was hosted in Muscat by Sultan Qaboos.
Among the Gulf states, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Bahrain are
becoming more open about their relations with Israel at an
official level.
Despite the warm official ties that Israel has developed with
some Gulf Arab states, the 2017-2018
Arab Opinion Index poll conducted by the Doha Institute
indicated that 90 percent of Arabs believe that Israel "poses a
threat to the security and stability of the region".
During the ceremony, Kochavi was sworn in and promoted to
lieutenant-general, the Israeli military’s highest rank.
