US, Israel, UAE, Bahrain sign Middle East peace accord

Donald Trump used the signing of accord between Israel, UAE and Bahrain to cast himself as an international statesman in the midst of the election campaign.

(L-R) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump, Bahrain Foreign Minister Abdullatif al-Zayani, and UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan pose from the Truman Balcony at the White House.

Donald Trump said the world was watching “the dawn of a new Middle East’’ as Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain signed an historic deal to establish formal ties in a lavish White House ceremony.

Mr Trump used the ceremony, with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the foreign ministers of UAE, to cast himself as an international statesman in the midst of a hard fought presidential election campaign.

The signing of the so-called Abraham Accord is one of the president’s most important foreign policy victories of his first term in office and comes after decades of hostility between the Arab world and Israel.

“We’re here this afternoon to change the course of history. After decades of division and conflict, we mark the dawn of a new Middle East,” Mr Trump said in an address to a crowd on the South Lawn of the White House. “Thanks to the courage of the leaders present, we take a major stride toward a future in which people of all faiths and backgrounds can live together in peace and prosperity.”

The agreement means that the UAE and Bahrain join Egypt and Jordan as the only Arab nations to normalise relations with Israel.

Mr Trump said that as many as five other nations would soon follow the lead and seek formal ties with Israel.

“We’ll be signing up other nations,’’ the president said. “We’re very far down the road with about five countries.’’

“You’re going to see a lot of very great activity. It’s going to be peace in the Middle East.

“This is peace in the Middle East without blood all over the sand,” he said.

Mr Trump declined to name the other nations which are considering formal ties with Israel but they are believed to include Oman, Sudan and Morocco.

The decision by the UAE and Bahrain to establish formal ties with Israel has angered the Palestinians who says the deal stabs them in the back at a time when peace talks with Israel and the Palestinian Authority are hopelessly deadlocked.

As part of the agreement Mr Netanyahu agreed to pause his controversial plan to annex large parts of the West Bank.

Bahrain Foreign Minister Abdullatif al-Zayani, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump, and UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan sign the Abraham Accords.

Israel, the UAE and Bahrain are staunchly anti-Iran and their agreement will strengthen the regional alliance against Tehran and its terrorist proxies in the region.

Mr Netanyahu said the Abraham Accord was “a pivot of history. It heralds a new dawn of peace.”

“Israel doesn’t feel isolated at all, it’s enjoying the greatest diplomatic triumph of its history,’’ he said.

Mr Trump presented the Israeli leader with a ceremonial gold key which he called a “key to the White House,’’ to which Mr Netanyahu responded; “You have the key to the heart of the Jewish people.’’

UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan thanked Mr Netanyahu for ‘halting the annexation’ of the West Bank.’’

“Today, we are already witnessing a change in the heart of the Middle East — a change that will send hope around the world,” Mr al-Nahyan said.

Bahrani Foreign Minister Abdullatif al-Zayani said Bahrain would stand with the Palestinians but he lauded the agreement as “a truly historic occasion,” and “a moment for hope and opportunity.”

The Trump administration played an important role in helping to broker the deal which will do much to shake up the status quo in a region where good news has been rare.

The high profile signing ceremony gave Mr Trump a chance to showcase a major foreign policy agreement during an election campaign where the overwhelming focus has been on local issues such as the economy and the coronavirus pandemic.

(Cameron Stewart is also US Contributor for Sky News Australia)