Israel's new Foreign Min warns of Iran's nuclear threat, says 'will talk less' on Ukraine

In his first inaugural speech on Monday, January 2, Israel's Foreign Minister Eli Cohen pushed for the coordinated international front united against Iran's nuclear programme, saying that the countries of the world "must stop burying their head in the sand." In a counter-response to Iran's growing nuclear ambitions, Cohen noted that Israel will focus on expanding its own military capabilities to defend its interests.

'No replacement for Israel-US ties': Cohen 

Israel's new Foreign Minister also emphasised strengthening cooperation with its longtime ally US which, he stated, “stands at the top of our priorities.” “There is no replacement for Israel-US ties,” he said, adding that “This is a long-term strategic partnership based first and foremost on shared values and on interests that we share.” 

In his speech, Cohen also focussed on deepening relations with Israel's key partner Europe, according to the newpaper The Times of Israel. The latter reported that a meeting is scheduled between Cohen and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on January 3 to discuss the ongoing conflict and other topics of mutual interest. With respect to the war in Ukraine, Cohen assumed a more neutral stance, saying that the Netanyahu government "will talk less and will continue humanitarian aid." The foreign minister of Israel berated Palestine for pursuing goals in international forums like the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague and calling for the UN-led resolutions.

“The ones who should be brought to justice are the Palestinian leadership, which is the only place in the world that gives incentives to murder Jews because they are Jews," Cohen remarked. 

 “Enough incitement in educational institutions and funding the murderers of Jews.”

Israel's minister recalled that a Negev Forum is scheduled to take place in March in Morocco which will be attended by officials from the US, UAE, Israel, Bahrain, Egypt, and potentially Jordan, and will prove to be a mechanism for regional cooperation between Israel and the Arab world. Some of the areas of regional cooperation listed by the Israeli government earlier includes food and water security, energy, education, health, tourism, security, and climate.

Cohen emphasised that at the forum, Israel will discuss the expansion of the Abraham Accords which is "not a question of if, but when." The accord was the historic normalisation agreement signed between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco brokered by the former Trump administration. The accord led to strengthening cooperation and regional integration in the Middle East and beyond for Tel Aviv, and included the establishment of the historic Negev Forum to bring onboard Israel and its neighbours. Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita participated in the Negev Summit in Israel alongside high-level officials from the US, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt last year.