President Donald Trump on Tuesday declared “the dawn of a new Middle East” after helping relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain with a hope the deal will spread to other countries.
The treaty – known as the Abraham Accords – comes after the four countries of Israel, the UAE, Bahrain and the United States last month came together in what will be known as one of the most significant days in world history, especially in the long history of the Middle East, after announcing they will establish formal diplomatic ties.
The diplomatic agreement means Israel and the UAE can exchange ambassadors and establish embassies in each other’s nations.
Furthermore, the accord allows direct trans-national flights and opens new opportunities for bilateral cooperation, particularly in health care and trade.
And on Tuesday this historic deal was formally signed.
“They’re going to work together,” Trump said yesterday standing on the lawn of the White House. “They are friends.”
For decades, Arab nations in the region have resisted efforts to recognize Israel because of the country’s ongoing dispute with Palestinians.
The UAE and Bahrain now join Egypt and Jordan as four countries who recognise Israel’s sovereignity.
“We have many nations ready to follow,” Trump said.
However, Palestine has condemned the treaty saying it is ‘undoing decades of hard work’ for them to get their independence and cuts around their own talks.
Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization executive committee, said in a statement this week: “The U.S. administration has used all its political and economic might to extort, pressure, and bully Arab and other states to normalize Israeli colonization and trample on foundational principles of international law, including the tacit endorsement of the war crime of annexation.
“The false promise of prosperity and peace based on the US-Israeli approach will prove itself a destructive mirage that will only further destabilize the region.”
Trump said he was talking with the Palestinian representatives.
“We are talking to the Palestinians, and at the right time they will join,” Trump said during an Oval Office meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Netanyahu also expressed optimism about what lies ahead.
“Ultimately, it can end the Arab-Israeli conflict once and for all,” Netanyahu said. “This was unimaginable just a few years ago.”
And UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan said of the peace deal: “We are witnessing a change in the heart of the Middle East—a change that will send hope around the world.”
Share on your Social Networks