US President Donald Trump told the leaders of several Arab and Muslim countries in a Saturday phone call that he expects them to normalize relations with Israel if he reaches a deal to end the war with Iran, two US officials told the Axios news site on Sunday.

Trump also referenced the request in a social media post, and suggested that Iran could also establish relations with Israel. But the ask was reportedly met with silence from the Arab and Muslim leaders.

The request suggests that Trump is seeking to offer Israel an upside in the nascent deal to end the war, whose reported terms have raised alarm in Jerusalem. Channel 12 reported on Sunday that senior Israeli officials have warned, “As it seems, [the agreement] does not serve Israel’s interest.”

Israeli officials are reportedly concerned that the deal, which will begin with a 60-day extension of the ceasefire, does not address Tehran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs or its support for regional proxies.  According to the report, officials fear the deal would grant Iran time for economic and military recovery, after which “it will be hard for the Americans and us to go back and fight.”

In social media posts on Sunday, Trump said any deal he negotiated would be “good and proper,” and derided critics of the agreement as “losers.” He also said he told negotiators “not to rush into a deal.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio likewise told The New York Times that a nuclear deal could not be achieved “in 72 hours on the back of a napkin.”

Trump’s posts came after he held a phone call on the emerging deal with the........

© The Times of Israel