Foreign Minister Eli Cohen spoke with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken this evening (Tuesday).
During the conversation, the two discussed an Israeli-American effort to expand the circle of peace and setting a new date for the convening of the Negev Forum - with the participation of new countries in addition to those that have already made peace with Israel.
They further discussed adding Israel to the US Visa Waiver Program and the security escalation in Judea and Samaria. Minister Cohen emphasized that Iran's influence is behind the terrorism committed against Israelis and stated that Israel would do whatever is necessary to protect its citizens.
Foreign Minister Cohen said following the conversation: "Expanding the circle of normalization and peace in the Middle East, led by the US, will advance the entire region and bring security, prosperity and stability. We will continue to work to build and strengthen our relations with other countries in the Middle East and beyond."
"I told the Secretary of State that behind the latest security escalation in Judea and Samaria are the terrorist metastases of the Iranian Ayatollahs regime. 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 in order to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons," Cohen said.
"A nuclear weapon in the hands of the Iranian terrorist regime would be a danger to the whole world and would signal a regional nuclear arms race. The Israeli government will continue to fight Palestinian terrorism until the end and protect its citizens, however, I emphasized to him that we strongly condemn incidents in which citizens take the law into their own hands.
"In a conversation with my friend, Secretary of State Blinken, I expressed my great appreciation for 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. We are in the final stages of the process, and I estimate that in October of this year we will be able to mark its completion and bring good news to the citizens of Israel," he said.