US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee called on Gulf Arab states to “pick a side” between Israel and Iran, saying the war has shown the benefits of normalizing ties with the former.
“Pick a side. Which side are you going to pick?” he said on Tuesday at a conference in Tel Aviv.
Gulf states have now understood that they are going to have to make a choice. Is it more likely that they will be attacked by Iran or by Israel? And I think they can look around and say: you know, Israel helped us. Iran attacked us.”
“The lesson is that Israel is not your natural enemy. Israel is not out to destroy you. Israel is not trying to take over your land,” he said. “It’s not sending missiles into your civilian territories. Who’s doing that? Iran is.”
The US envoy then praised the United Arab Emirates, saying they are an “example” of how a country can benefit from Israel in times of need.
“Israel just sent them Iron Dome batteries and personnel to help them operate them,” Huckabee said.