Up to seven more Muslim countries could make peace with Israel if the Jewish State signs a peace agreement with Saudi Arabia, Foreign Minister Eli Cohen told Israel's KAN News on Friday.
Speaking to the outlet immediately following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech at the United Nations General Assembly, in which he touted a "new Middle East" where Israel and Saudi Arabia enjoyed diplomatic ties, Cohen said that "peace with Saudi Arabia means peace with the greater Muslim world."
He said: "There are at least another six or seven countries that I have met with - significant Muslim countries with which we do not have relations - that are interested [in peace]."
Cohen said the countries are in Africa and Asia but declined to name them. He later said that only some had been directly in touch with him.
שר החוץ אלי כהן: "נפגשתי עם מדינות מוסלמיות משמעותיות שאין לנו קשרים איתן. עוד 7-6 מדינות מאפריקה ואסיה יצטרפו לשלום עם סעודיה"@SuleimanMas1 ו-@shemeshmicha , שליחי כאן חדשות עם פמליית רה"מ לאמריקה pic.twitter.com/1Ll0ic3Ao8
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) September 22, 2023
Cohen causes diplomatic debacle with Libya
Last month, Cohen held a closed meeting with his Libyan counterpart, Najla Mangoush. He then caused a diplomatic crisis by leaking his conversation to the media.
Mangoush was then fired and forced to flee her country. She is now under investigation.
In response to the meeting, Libyan Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibeh said his country "completely rejects" any notion of Israeli normalization.
Cohen told KAN: "I'm not talking about [Libya]. We will wait [with announcements], but more countries will join our peace circle, you will see."