Mauritania to establish ties with Israel in Trump-brokered White House talks: Report

Mauritania is reportedly preparing to restore diplomatic relations with Israel during a meeting at the White House later on Wednesday, in a move facilitated by US President Donald Trump, according to a report by US news website Semafor. 

President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani is expected to sit down with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the sidelines of a mini US-Africa summit.

Mauritania, a member of the Arab League, broke off ties with Israel in 2010 following Israel’s assault on Gaza. That war, the first of several devastating offensives, triggered widespread outrage across the Arab world. The latest move comes as Israel is committing a widely documented genocide in Gaza. 

The Trump administration has long pushed normalisation deals between Arab and African states and Israel, framing them as economic partnerships - while critics argue they provide political cover for Israel’s ongoing occupation and war crimes in Palestinian territories.

Mauritania is one of nine African countries that either do not recognise Israel (including Algeria, Comoros, Djibouti, Libya, Somalia, and Tunisia) or have suspended ties, such as Mali and Niger.