Don to preside over historic Arab-Israel recognition deals ‘NO PROBLEM’ SELLING UAE ADVANCED F-35: TRUMP

Power dynamics to shift as Prez to get a boost ahead of the Nov. US election

Washington, Sept. 15: President Donald Trump is set to preside over the signing of historic diplomatic deals between Israel and two Gulf Arab nations that could herald a dramatic shift in Middle East power dynamics and give him a boost ahead of the November US election.

In a White House ceremony aimed at showcasing presidential statesmanship, Trump will host more than 700 guests Tuesday on the South Lawn to witness the sealing of the agreements between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

Trump and his allies hope the occasion will burnish Trump’s credentials as a peacemaker at the height of his re-election campaign. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Emirati and Bahraini foreign ministers are to ink the deals before the crowd, which will include representatives of supporting nations from the Washington-based diplomatic corps but few other dignitaries from overseas. Some Congressional Democrats who have offered muted praise have been invited to attend.

In addition to the individual bilateral agreements signed by Israel, the UAE and Bahrain, all three will sign a trilateral document, officials said. The agreements are dubbed the “Abraham Accords” after the patriarch of the world’s three major monotheistic religions. Trump is expected to sign as a witness.

The agreements won’t end active wars but will rather formalise the normalization of the Jewish state's already warming relations with the two countries. And, while not addressing the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict, they may pave the way for a broader ArabIsraeli rapprochement after decades of enmity.

Washington, Sept. 15: US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he would have “no problem” selling advanced F-35 warplanes to the United Arab Emirates, despite objections from close ally Israel.

“I personally would have no problem with it,” he said on Fox News. “I would have no problem in selling them the F-35.” He said the sale would mean “tremendous jobs at home”. The UAE is eying the stealth fighter jet as a component in its ambitious plans to make the small, wealthy country into a regional military power. Israel — currently the only country in the region to possess the US warplanes — has pushed back, insisting on retaining its overwhelming technical advantage against its Arab neighbours. Analysts say that the UAE has used its demand for F35s as a bargaining chip in agreeing to sign the Trump-brokered deal.

—AFP Demonstrators, mask-clad due to the Covid-19 pandemic, hold Palestinian flags during a protest against the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain’s decisions to normalise relations with Israel, in the city of Nablus in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday. Palestinians had in August accused Abu Dhabi of a “stab in the back”, as the UAE became only the third Arab nation after Egypt and Jordan to announce it would have formal relations with Israel.