Israel and the United Arab Emirates reached a historic peace deal on Thursday that will lead to a full normalization of diplomatic relations between the two Middle Eastern nations in an agreement that U.S. President Donald Trump helped broker.
Under the agreement, Israel has agreed to suspend applying sovereignty to areas of the West Bank that it has been discussing annexing, senior White House officials told Reuters.
The peace deal was the product of lengthy discussions between Israel, the UAE and the United States that accelerated recently, White House officials said.
The agreement was sealed in a phone call on Thursday between Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed, crown prince of Abu Dhabi.
HUGE breakthrough today! Historic Peace Agreement between our two GREAT friends, Israel and the United Arab Emirates!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 13, 2020
The officials described the agreement, to be known as the Abraham Accords, as the first of its kind since Israel and Jordan signed a peace treaty in 1994. It also gives Trump a foreign policy success as he seeks re-election on Nov. 3.
White House officials said Trump senior adviser Jared Kushner, U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman and Middle East envoy Avi Berkowitz were deeply involved in negotiating the deal, as well as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and White House national security adviser Robert O’Brien.
A joint statement issued by the three nations said the three leaders had “agreed to the full normalization of relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.”
“This historic diplomatic breakthrough will advance peace in the Middle East region and is a testament to the bold diplomacy and vision of the three leaders and the courage of the United Arab Emirates and Israel to chart a new path that will unlock the great potential in the region,” the statement said.
The United States congratulates Israel and the Emirates for this remarkable achievement, which is a significant step forward for peace in the Middle East. Blessed are the peacemakers. Mabruk and Mazal Tov.
— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) August 13, 2020
Delegations from Israel and the United Arab Emirates will meet in the coming weeks to sign bilateral agreements regarding investment, tourism, direct flights, security, telecommunications and other issues, the statement said.
The two countries are expected soon to exchange ambassadors and embassies.
The statement said that as “a result of this diplomatic breakthrough and at the request of President Trump with the support of the United Arab Emirates, Israel will suspend declaring sovereignty” over areas of the West Bank that were envisioned in the U.S. peace plan unveiled by Trump in January.
“Israel for the foreseeable future will be focused on building this relationship and pursuing all the advantages that can come from having this new relationship with this country, and we also breaks the ice for doing more normalizations and peace agreements with other regional players as well,” one White House official told Reuters.
The agreement envisions giving Muslims greater access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City of Jerusalem by allowing them to fly from Abu Dhabi to Tel Aviv, White House officials said.
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10 Responses
What does Israel get for this?
Hmmm. Peace with the United Arab Emirates, in exchange for Israel’s agreement not to assert sovereignty over the West Bank. Who can forget the brutal war between Israel and the UAE back in … I forget, so the answer to my question is, me.
There was de facto peace with the UAE. Is the UAE prohibited from financial support for someone else’s army to fight with Israel?
Does this smell like a quiet deal between Netanyahu and Trump to make Trump look like his administration has accomplished something in the Middle East? Are we sure this is good for the Jews?
If Obama got the Nobel Peace prize for being black, then trump should be recognized for brokering relative peace in Korea and now this. No doubt more Arab countries will follow the UAE.
Even the disgruntled mustache, you may know him from the classic kids film Pinocchio, JB, was forced to praise this move.
Can Netanyahu do this on his own without government approval?
What did Israel gain from this? Do we need their culture and tourism? More goyim in Israel? This is a bad deal and the government should not approve.
Sunnis are better than Shias.
I really don’t care that Trump scored a much needed win for his reelection prospects the question really is, is this good for the Jews?
What gives the politicians a right to threaten Israel’s security like this ? This is worse than the virus threat! It’s putting the life of millions of people on danger! Never have these peace proposals led to peace. Quite the opposite. We don’t need Trump. We don’t need Biden. We need Moshiach!
A good deal. I rarely praise Trump but if this actually goes through he has done something good.
This also means that Jewish right wingers can’t criticize Biden and Harris for their opposition to Israel’s “sovereignty” movement; basically Trump has come over to their position.
The Deal Of the Century didn’t even make it 6 months. Somebody explain to Donnie what a century is.