Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday evening that Israel will continue to fight Palestinian Authority terrorism, noting that the recent escalation in attacks has its roots in Iranian meddling.
The two men discussed a range of other topics during their phone conversation as well, including the effort to expand the circle of peace in the region, Israel’s participation in the US visa waiver program and setting a new date to convene the Negev Forum, and expanding to include new countries in the forum.
According to a Foreign Ministry communique, Cohen “strongly condemned events in which citizens take the law into their own hands and said that the government will take all necessary measures,” to put a stop to it. He emphasized the importance of coordination between Israel and the US and increasing security cooperation with the Palestinian Authority to prevent further escalation in Judea and Samaria.
Cohen warned that “the metastases of Iran’s terrorism” are behind the escalation in terrorist attacks against Israelis in Judea and Samaria.
“Iran directs terrorism all over the Middle East, from Lebanon and Syria, through Iraq and Yemen to Hamas and the Islamic Jihad. The international community must act decisively and unambiguously to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. A nuclear weapon in the hands of the Iranian terrorist regime would be a global danger and would signal a regional nuclear arms race,” he said.
“The Israeli government will continue to fight Palestinian terrorism until the end and protect its citizens,” Cohen emphasized, but added that Israel “strongly condemns” events in which citizens “take the law into their own hands.”
Cohen’s office said that he expressed his “great appreciation to the outgoing US Ambassador Tom Nides for his central role in strengthening the strategic ties between Israel and the US and promoting the visa exemption for Israeli citizens.”
Israel appears to be in the final stages of the process, and Cohen estimated that by this coming October, Israel will be able to “bless the completion and bring good news to the citizens of Israel.”
