U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) are seen during a press conference in Jerusalem on Aug. 24, 2020.(Amit Shabi/JINI via Xinhua)

The Arab nations U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently visited and hoped to follow the UAE's step remain cautious about normalizing ties with Israel.

by Xinhua writer Gao Yang

CAIRO, Aug. 30 -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's recent Middle East trip hit a snag as the Arab nations he visited remained cautious about normalizing ties with Israel following the United Arab Emirates' historic move, analysts say.

Pompeo has recently wrapped up a five-day trip to the Middle East, which took him to Israel, Sudan, Bahrain, the UAE and Oman, hoping to push more Arab nations to follow suit after a landmark U.S.-brokered normalization deal was reached between Israel and the UAE. Pompeo hoped to counter Iran's increasing influence in the region and support U.S. President Donald Trump's reelection campaign.

However, in Sudan, Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok told the U.S. top diplomat that the Sudanese transitional government has "no mandate to normalize ties with Israel."