Nuts and bolts that hold deal together
What is the Isreali-United Arab Emirates deal and what does it mean.
What did Israel and the United Arab Emirates commit to?
The two countries have agreed to normalise relations after Israel suspended its plans to annex large areas of the occupied West Bank, a source of friction between Israel and the Palestinians’ supporters among the Gulf Arab nations.
What does it mean?
The two countries for the first time are moving toward a full diplomatic relationship, which could involve posting ambassadors or other high-level officials to each other’s countries. At the moment, Israel doesn’t have diplomatic relations with any Gulf Arab nations, although there are unofficial contacts. The pact marks the third time that Israel has struck a diplomatic agreement after reaching similar deals with Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994. The new deal opens the way for other potential agreements between Israel and the UAE, from investment and tourism to cultural exchanges and direct flights.
How is Trump involved?
The US has been pushing for an accord between Israel and Gulf Arab nations as a way to isolate Iran and further the Trump administration’s campaign of maximum pressure on the Islamic Republic. “Peace between the Arabs and Israelis is Iran’s worst nightmare,” said Brian Hook, the US State Department’s special envoy for Iran. To help push the agreement through, the US asked Israel to put on hold its earlier pledge to begin annexing parts of the West Bank.
President Donald Trump hosted a telephone call between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi in which the deal was struck.
It will be called the Abraham Accord after the father of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Mr Trump joked that he wanted to call the pact the “Donald J. Trump Accord” but that the news media wouldn’t understand. He described the agreement on Twitter as a “HUGE breakthrough.”
How did the Israeli and UAE leaders respond?
Mr Netanyahu tweeted “historic day” in response to Trump’s comments. In a joint statement with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the two men said they hoped the “historic breakthrough will advance peace in the Middle East”.
The UAE’s ambassador to the US, Youssef Otaibai, said the agreement would stop Israel’s annexation of the West Bank, which he warned could have caused a violent escalation of tensions.
Does the agreement bring a Middle East peace deal closer?
The Gulf states have long held back from normalising relations with Israel because of its long-running territorial conflict with the Palestinians. But in recent years, shared suspicion of Iran has brought Israel and several Gulf nations closer together. The diplomatic agreement with Israel might nudge forward a broader rapprochement — if other Gulf states accept that a halt to Israel’s plans to annex the West Bank is enough of a prize to build upon.
However, Palestinian leaders have condemned the agreement, saying it rewarded Israeli occupation of lands they claim as their own. Mr Netanyahu emphasised that annexation of the West Bank was only on hold, not cancelled.
The Wall Street Journal
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