The dawn of a new Middle East

UAE, Bahrain sign historic accords to normalise relations with Israel

The UAE and Israel signed a historic accord to normalise relations at the White House yesterday, a diplomatic breakthrough that the UAE and the US said was a sign that peace and progress in the Middle East was possible.

Bahrain also signed a similar agreement and completed its own peace accord with 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 thanks to the great courage of the leaders of these three countries,” US President Donald Trump said at the start of the signing ceremony.

In front of a crowd of several hundred people on the White House lawn, UAE Foreign Minister Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdul Latif Al Zayani signed what is called the Abraham Accord with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The accord was in addition to the individual pacts between Israel, the UAE and Bahrain.

As Shaikh Abdullah and Netanyahu

We are already witnessing a change in the heart of the Middle East. Peace requires courage, and shaping the future requires knowledge… We have come to tell the world that peace is our guiding principle.”

Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan | UAE Foreign Minister

Trump said that the three countries would exchange embassies and “work together so strongly as partners to cooperate across the broad range of sectors,” including tourism, trade, health care and security.

Thanks to the great courage of the leaders of these three countries, we take a major stride toward a future in which people of all faiths and background live together in peace and prosperity.”

Donald Trump | US President

penned their signatures on the document to officially normalise relations between the UAE and Israel, it marked the first such agreement between an Arab country and Israel in over a quarter of a century.

Addressing the gathering, Shaikh Abdullah said at the ceremony that “today, we are already witnessing a change in the heart of the Middle East, a change that will send hope around the world.”

High-profile attendees

The ceremony at the South Lawn of the White House was attended by hundreds of guests, including former UK prime minister Tony Blair, former US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, Oman’s ambassador to the US, other foreign emissaries as well as many Republican members of Congress. About a dozen Democratic members of Congress also attended, according to the White House.

“The blessings of the peace we make today will be enormous,” Netanyahu said. “First because this peace will eventually expand to include other Arab states, and ultimately, it will end the Arab-Israeli conflict once and for all.”

Netanyahu thanks Mohammad Bin Zayed

Netanyahu thanked His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, for his leadership in the accords.

The UAE and Israel are expected to collaborate on a number of shared interests, including tourism, technology and energy, among other areas. An exchange of ambassadors and diplomatic missions is also planned, with Dr Anwar Gargash, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, saying that the UAE’s embassy will be in Tel Aviv.

UAE remains committed to a two-state solution

As part of the agreement, Israel said it would suspend its plans to annex occupied Palestinian territories. Shaikh Abdullah has confirmed that the UAE remains committed to a two-state solution, saying the UAE’s support for the Palestinian cause is “unshakable”.

As flags of the US, the UAE, Israel and Bahrain fluttered in abundance, Trump hailed the occasion as a “a major stride in which people of all faiths and backgrounds live together in peace and prosperity” and declared that the three Middle East countries “are going to work together, they are friends.”

More countries to join?

Meeting Netanyahu earlier in the Oval Office, Trump said: “We’ll have at least five or six countries coming along very quickly” to sign their own accords with Israel, but did not name any of them.

Al Zayani: An opportunity to end decades of conflict

Al Zayani said the agreement would enhance Bahrain’s principles of coexistence and harmony. “For too long, the Middle East has been set back by conflict and distrust,