[News] Normalization of Israel's relations with the UAE and Bahrain: Donald Trump celebrates a "new Middle East dawn"

[ITS OZX-]

 

 

The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain signed an agreement for normalization with Israel, at the White House under the auspices of US President Donald Trump.

Trump described the event as an "extraordinary day for the world, which would set history on a new course," and praised what he called "the dawn of a new Middle East."

The three countries - the UAE, Bahrain and Israel - hailed the agreements as historic.

Trump hopes that other Arab countries will follow the example of the two Gulf states, but the Palestinians are urging Arab countries not to do so, as long as their conflict remains unresolved.

For decades, most Arab states boycotted Israel, insisting that relations with it be established only after the Palestinian conflict was settled.

"After decades of division and conflict, we are celebrating the dawn of a new Middle East," Trump told a crowd of hundreds at the White House on Tuesday.

He added that what is happening "changes the course of history."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the agreements, saying, "This is a pivotal day in history. It heralds a new dawn of peace."

However, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said that only an Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories can bring peace in the Middle East.

A statement issued by the Palestinian presidency warned that "peace, security and stability will not be achieved in the region until the Israeli occupation ends."

Netanyahu predicted that the new momentum for peace might end the Arab-Israeli conflict for good.

The UAE Foreign Minister, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, thanked Netanyahu for freezing his plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank.

But the Palestinians condemned the agreements, which they considered "treason," and protests erupted in the West Bank and Gaza.

The Palestinian Prime Minister considered the signing of the agreement a "black day for the Arab nation."

But US President Donald Trump has said that the Palestinians will return to the negotiating table soon.

 

Why are the agreements described as "historic"?
Before the UAE and Bahrain, the other Arab countries that officially recognized Israel were only Egypt and Jordan, which signed peace treaties in 1978 and 1994, respectively.

Mauritania established diplomatic relations with Israel in 1999, but cut those ties in 2010.

Many are waiting to see whether other countries will follow the example of the UAE and Bahrain.

So far, the Saudis have indicated that they are not prepared for this.

The agreements are also likely to lead to new security relations, in a region in which many Gulf Arab states share a rivalry with the Israelis with Iran.