By: TPS
The Pentagon announced over the weekend that the US military will move Israel from the US European Command’s (Eucom) area of responsibility to that of the US Central Command (Centcom), which focuses on the Middle East
The Pentagon said that the change is “a sign of the changing political environment in the Middle East” following the signing of the Abraham Accords and “is part of unified command plan changes.”
When the Reagan administration set up Centcom in 1983, Israel was left as part of Eucom. Arab nations, except Egypt, did not recognize the Jewish state.
“US military coordination in the region — including multilateral exercises and operations — would have been complicated,” the Pentagon explained.
However, “the need for this set-up has changed,” the Pentagon noted.
Egypt recognized Israel in 1979, followed by Jordan in 1994. The Abraham Accords were signed at the White House in December 2020, and Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco and Sudan recognized Israel and opened full diplomatic relations with the country.
“The easing of tensions between Israel and its Arab neighbors subsequent to the Abraham Accords has provided a strategic opportunity for the United States to align key partners against shared threats in the Middle East,” DOD officials said in a written release.
“Israel is a leading strategic partner for the United States, and this will open up additional opportunities for cooperation with our U.S. Central Command partners while maintaining strong cooperation between Israel and our European allies,” it added. (TPS)
