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Behind the Israel-Arab Normalization Deals
(Jerusalem Post) Yonah Jeremy Bob - Behind the July-to-December 2020 wave of normalization deals with Arab countries were earlier turning points, where the key party was Saudi Arabia. Israeli intelligence sources say that from his start in January 2016, Mossad chief Yossi Cohen established a unit to focus on normalization. Cohen is reported to have traveled to Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, Morocco and other countries without diplomatic relations with Israel. Other precursors involved in this effort included former National Security Council chief Yaakov Amidror and former Foreign Ministry director-general Dore Gold. Israeli intelligence sources have indicated that a real turning point was the reported visit of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Tel Aviv in September 2017.