JERUSALEM (AA): Israeli Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz has said that his country will join the US and the UK, to “protect” trade routes in the Persian Gulf, Israeli media reported on Tuesday.
According to an Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth, Katz claimed that he had recently met a “high ranking persona” from the United Arab Emirates, to improve ties between Israel and Arab states.
“Israel is part of the U.S.-led coalition to protect trade routes in the Persian Gulf,” Katz said.
“It is an Israeli interest to stop Iranian entrenchment in the region and strengthen relationship with Gulf countries,” he added.
The new pro-US UK Government, led by Boris Johnson, has taken a different position to Theresa May’s Government which had suggested a European-led naval coalition in the Gulf. It announced on Monday that UK will join the US naval force in the Persian Gulf in tanker war against Iran.
“The UK is determined to ensure her shipping is protected from unlawful threats, and for that reason we have today joined the new maritime security mission in the Gulf,” Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said in a statement.
Germany and France have refused to take any part in the Operation Sentinel mission led by the US.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Monday reiterated that Germany would not join a US-led naval mission in the Strait of Hormuz, adding that Berlin favoured a European mission but warned it was rather difficult to make progress on that.
“At the moment the Britons would rather join an American mission. We won’t do that,” Maas told reporters.
Last month, Iran seized a British-flagged tanker in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, in a retaliatory action, for the seizure of an Iranian vessel by British forces in Gibraltar. Tension has been running high in the region since then.
Additional report by The Muslim News
[Map of Persian Gulf. By Hégésippe Cormier aka Hégésippe/GNU/Free Documentation License]