Applying sovereignty: Secret contacts between Israel and moderate Sunni states continue • Egyptian factor: "Abbas' appeal to Erdogan angered us and the Jordanians"

Although it is unclear whether Israel will actually declare sovereignty in Judea and Samaria on July 1, backstage contacts between Israel and the moderate Sunni states continue. 

His life's mission. Netanyahu on sovereignty - April 2020 // Photo: GPO

Senior Arab diplomats, as well as senior security officials in Egypt and Jordan's intelligence agencies, confirm to Israel Today that in recent weeks and toward the implementation of Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria and the Jordan Valley, there has been extensive diplomatic activity between Israel and the moderate Arab states. This is in an attempt to reach agreement on an outline regarding the nature of the response of the Sunni Arab states, especially Egypt and Jordan, whose peace agreements with Israel - if and when Israel declares the application of Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria and will implement the plan in practice.

According to those Arab sources, the contacts between Israel and the moderate Arab countries are carried out through senior intelligence and security agencies under a low degree of secrecy and at a high level of compartmentalisation.  

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Trump and Netanyahu present century plan // Photo: White House spokesmen / archive

According to a senior Arab diplomatic source, those conducting the clandestine contacts are the head of Mossad Yossi Cohen and Egyptian intelligence chief Kamal Abbas, who recently met several times and reached agreements that would allow the implementation of the Israeli sovereignty program on the one hand, and the official opposition of the Arab states to the plan. That will be implemented in practice without significantly damaging the political relationship between the countries. 

"Not hurt in relationship"

A senior Egyptian source told Israel Today this week that Palestinian concerns about the nature of Cairo's response to the plan for applying Israeli sovereignty are justified, because in the secret contacts between the Mossad Cohen and the head of Egyptian intelligence Abbas Kamal, the parties reached an agreement in principle on the Egyptian response to Israeli sovereignty. Egypt even managed to persuade their counterparts in the Jordanian security system to recommend to King Abdullah II to make only a declaratory condemnation of the Israeli annexation plan and not take any operative measures such as violating the peace agreement with Israel.

Deep collaboration

At the same time, an Egyptian official told "Israel Today": "Egyptian involvement in Libya, in light of security developments there, engages us far more than the Palestinian issue and the interests of Abu Mazen, who did not hesitate to contact Turkey who is against us in Libya, and asked it to lead the Arab-Israeli struggle against Israeli annexation plan. Abu Mazen's appeal to Erdogan has provoked anger not only in Egypt but also in Jordan. "

This announcement expresses the depth of Egyptian-Jordanian cooperation and coordination not only in Libya, but also in the Palestinian issue. 

There is complete coordination between President Aissi and King Abdullah II. Egypt and Jordan's national and security interests are at the forefront of the two leaders, even if it is at the expense of Palestinian interests. "

A Jordanian security official has also confirmed the spirit of "Israel today" and added about the Jordanian Foreign Minister's meeting with Abu Mazen in Ramallah that the message conveyed to Abu Mazen from the King, as reported in al-Muhammad, states that implementation of Israeli sovereignty will make it difficult for Jordan to continue the peace agreement "The message conveyed to Abu Mazen was about security coordination and political cooperation between Egypt and Jordan with regard to the Palestinian issue, and the possibility that Jordan, like Egypt, would only make a declaratory condemnation of the Israeli annexation plan and certainly would not violate the peace agreement with Israel and the special security relations. 

"Turkish involvement in Libya does not only threaten Egypt but also Jordanian interests - proves how far the Palestinians are willing to go for their own interests, even if it is a violation of general interests."