Though cautiously watched by the international community, the coup came to be generally accepted, with the military ''junta'' organizing elections within a promised two-year timeline. In a referendum on 26 June 2006, Mauritanians overwhelmingly (97%) approved a new constitution that limited the duration of a president's stay in office. The leader of the ''junta'', Col. Vall, promised to abide by the referendum and relinquish power peacefully. Mauritania's establishment of relations with Israelit is one of only three Arab states to recognize Israelwas maintained by the new regime, despite widespread criticism from the opposition. They considered that position as a legacy of the Taya regime's attempts to curry favor with the West.