Jump to content

Israel–United Arab Emirates normalization agreement

Extended-protected article
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Zvikorn (talk | contribs) at 12:18, 15 August 2020 (→‎Middle East: tlv city hall flag). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Location of Israel (blue) and the UAE (red) within the Middle East

The Israel–United Arab Emirates peace agreement, or the Abraham Accord,[1] was agreed to by Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on August 13, 2020. If an agreement is signed, the UAE will be the third Arab country, after Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994, to formally normalize its relationship with Israel,[1][2][3] as well as the first Persian Gulf country to do so.[4][5] Concurrently, Israel agreed to suspend plans for the annexation of the West Bank.[4][6]

Background

Main article: Israel–United Arab Emirates relations

As early as 1971, the year in which the UAE became an independent country, the first president of the UAE Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan had referred to Israel as "the enemy."[7] In November 2015, Israel announced that it would open a diplomatic office in the UAE, which would be the first time in more than a decade that Israel had an official presence in the Persian Gulf.[8] In August 2019, Israel's foreign minister made a public declaration about military cooperation with the UAE amidst rising tensions with Iran.[9]

In the months leading up to the agreement, Israel had been working in secret with the UAE to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. European news media reported that Mossad had discreetly obtained health equipment from Gulf states.[10][11] Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, reported at the end of June 2020 that the two countries were in cooperation to fight the coronavirus and that the head of the Mossad, Yossi Cohen, had traveled numerous times to the UAE. However, the UAE appeared to downplay this a few hours later by revealing that it was merely an arrangement among private companies rather than at state level.[12]

The move also comes following the termination of the Iran nuclear deal by the Trump administration and increased Israeli concerns over the development of an Iranian nuclear program, which Tehran denies. Currently, Iran supports different factions in proxy wars from Syria to Yemen, where the UAE has supported the Saudi-led coalition against the Iran-aligned forces fighting there.[13] In recent years, the countries' informal relations warmed considerably and they engaged in extensive unofficial cooperation based on their joint opposition to Iran's nuclear program and regional influence.[14]

The agreement is also officially called the "Abraham Accord" in honor of Abraham, the patriarch of the three major Abrahamic religions of the world—Judaism, Islam and Christianity.[15]

Agreement

US President Donald Trump announces to the media the agreement from the Oval Office at the White House, August 13, 2020

On August 13, 2020, the UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Anwar Gargash, announced the UAE’s agreement to normalize relations with Israel saying that his country wanted to deal with the threats facing the two-state solution, specifically annexation of the Palestinian territories and urging the Palestinians and Israelis to return to the negotiating table. He indicated that he did not think that there will be any embassy in Jerusalem until after there is a final agreement between the Palestinians and the Israelis.[16] According to U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, "Israel and the United Arab Emirates will fully normalize their diplomatic relations. They will exchange embassies and ambassadors and begin cooperation across the board and on a broad range of areas including tourism, education, healthcare, trade and security."[17]

A joint statement issued by Trump, Netanyahu, and Zayed, read: "This historic diplomatic breakthrough will advance peace in the Middle East region and is a testament to the bold diplomacy and vision of the three leaders and the courage of the United Arab Emirates and Israel to chart a new path that will unlock the great potential in the region."[13] The UAE said it would continue to support the Palestinian people and that the agreement would maintain the prospect of a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine. Despite the agreement however, Netanyahu stated that Israel's sovereignty claim to the Jordan Valley was still on the agenda and only frozen for the time being.[13]

Zayed tweeted that "UAE and Israel also agreed to cooperation and setting a roadmap towards establishing a bilateral relationship."[2]

It is expected that the peace accord will be signed in the White House in early September.[18]

Reactions

Middle East

Israel

Prime Minister Netanyahu said there was "no change" to his plans to annex parts of the West Bank if it was approved by the US, but added they were on temporary hold.[19]

Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality Mayor Ron Huldai, congratulated Netanyahu on the "double achievement" of peace with the UAE and shelving of plans to annex parts of the West Bank.[20] Huldai also lit up the Tel Aviv City Hall with the flag of the UAE.[21]

The head of the Israeli settler group Yesha, David Elhayani, accused Netanyahu of "betraying" some of his most loyal supporters and having "deceived half a million residents of the area and hundreds of thousands of voters." Oded Revivi, the mayor of Efrat, a settlement of more than 9,000 residents south of Jerusalem, supported Netanyahu, arguing that "the Israeli agreement to postpone the application of Israeli law in the Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria is a fair price [to pay]."[22]

Gulf states

Yousef Al Otaiba, the Emirati ambassador to the United States, issued a statement extolling the agreement as "a win for diplomacy and for the region", adding how it "lowers tensions and creates new energy for positive change".[5][23]

Bahrain, the first Gulf Arab country to comment publicly on the announcement, congratulated the UAE leadership and welcomed the deal as "steps to enhance the chances for Middle East peace."[20] The government of Oman also publicly supported the agreement (which it termed "historic").[24]

Palestinian

Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) official Hanan Ashrawi lambasted the agreement, writing on Twitter that "Israel got rewarded for not declaring openly what it's been doing to Palestine illegally and persistently since the beginning of the occupation."[4] Fatah accused the UAE of "flouting its national, religious and humanitarian duties" towards the Palestinian people, while Hamas said it was a "treacherous stab in the back of the Palestinian people"[4] and claimed the agreement was a "free reward" for Israeli "crimes and violations against the Palestinian people."[22]

The Palestinian Authority recalled its ambassador from Abu Dhabi.[25][26]

Iran

Iran's Tasnim News Agency said the Israel–UAE deal was "shameful."[27] The Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned the deal as a "dangerous" stab in the back of Palestinians and Muslims, terming it a "shameful" act of "strategic stupidity" by the UAE and Israel that would only serve to strengthen the "Axis of Resistance" in the Middle East.[28]

Egypt

The Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi welcomed the deal, saying that he praises the parties' efforts to "achieve prosperity and stabilization in our region."[20]

Turkey

The Turkish Foreign Ministry condemned the agreement, saying history and the people of Middle East would neither forgive nor forget what UAE did, and that it was a violation of the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative.[29]

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan later stated that Turkey was considering cutting off diplomatic relations with UAE in retaliation, as well as recalling its ambassador from Abu Dhabi.[29]

United States

Kelly Craft, the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, celebrated the announcement, calling it "a huge win" for President Trump and for the world, saying that the diplomatic ties show "just how hungry for peace we all are in this world," and how Middle Eastern countries are all understanding the need "to stand firm against a regime that is the number one state sponsor of terrorism" — Iran.[20]

Jared Kushner, a Senior Advisor to the President of the United States, said that the deal would make the Middle East peaceful and hopeful, which would mean fewer American troops would need to be deployed in the region.[30]

Europe

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson lauded the agreement as a pathway to achieving peace in the Middle East and also praised suspension of annexation of areas in West Bank. British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian voiced similar sentiments, with the former adding that it was time for direct dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians, while the latter stated that it created an opportunity for resuming the talks.[31]

United Nations

UN Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed "any initiative that can promote peace and security in the Middle East region."[32]

Analysis

According to Lisa Goldman, co-founder of +972, Netanyahu "never intended to annex" parts of the West Bank, but the UAE is "claiming a diplomatic victory in exchange for what's probably a lot of very valuable security cooperation from Israel. All on the backs of Palestinians, as usual."[33]

According to Ellie Geranmayeh, analyst at the European Council on Foreign Relations, the agreement is unlikely to be a game-changer for Iran, since the latter had long assumed that the countries have had secret relations for a long time.[34]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Holland, Steve (August 13, 2020). "With Trump's help, Israel and the United Arab Emirates reach historic deal to normalize relations". Reuters. Retrieved August 13, 2020. Israel had signed peace agreements with Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994. But the UAE, along with most other Arab nations, did not recognise Israel and had no formal diplomatic or economic relations with it until now. It becomes the first Gulf Arab country to reach such a deal with the Jewish state.
  2. ^ a b Baker, Peter; Kershner, Isabel; Kirkpatrick, David D. (August 13, 2020). "Israel and United Arab Emirates Strike Major Diplomatic Agreement". The New York Times. If fulfilled, the pact would make the Emirates only the third Arab country to have normal diplomatic relations with Israel along with Egypt, which signed a peace agreement in 1979, and Jordan, which signed a treaty in 1994.
  3. ^ Smith, Saphora (August 13, 2020). "Israel, United Arab Emirates agree full normalization of relations". NBC News. Retrieved August 13, 2020. Israel currently has peace deals with only two Arab countries — Egypt and Jordan — where it has fortified embassies. If Israel and the UAE go ahead and sign bilateral agreements, it would be the first time Israel has normalized relations with a Gulf state.
  4. ^ a b c d "Israel and UAE announce normalisation of relations with US help". Al Jazeera. August 13, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Israel and UAE strike historic deal to normalise relations". BBC News. August 13, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  6. ^ "Israel and United Arab Emirates strike historic peace accord". FT. August 13, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  7. ^ Kristian Coates Ulrichsen (September 2016). "Israel and the Arab Gulf States: Drivers and Directions of Change" (PDF). Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy. p. 3.
  8. ^ Hadid, Diaa (November 27, 2015). "Israel to Open Diplomatic Office in United Arab Emirates". The New York Times.
  9. ^ Freedberg, Sydney J., Jr. "Israel Meets with UAE, Declares It's Joining Persian Gulf Coalition".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ Baker, Peter; Kershner, Isabel; Kirkpatrick, David D. (August 13, 2020). "Israel and United Arab Emirates Strike Major Diplomatic Agreement". The New York Times. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  11. ^ Bergman, Ronen (April 12, 2020). "Israel's Not-So-Secret Weapon in Coronavirus Fight: The Spies of Mossad". The New York Times.
  12. ^ Bergman, Ronen; Hubbard, Ben (June 25, 2020). "Israel Announces Partnership with U.A.E., Which Throws Cold Water On It". The New York Times. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  13. ^ a b c "Israel, UAE agree to normalise relations, with help from Trump". Reuters. August 13, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  14. ^ The New Yorker, 16 June 2018, "Donald Trump's New World Order"
  15. ^ "Trump Announces 'Historic Breakthrough' Between Israel, UAE". Voice of America. August 13, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  16. ^ "Further Israeli annexation of Palestinian territories would have eliminated hope for peace: UAE". AMN. August 13, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  17. ^ "Israel, UAE agree to normalize ties in what Trump calls a 'historic' agreement". ABC News. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  18. ^ "Israel, UAE normalise relations in historic, Trump-brokered deal". France24. August 13, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  19. ^ "UAE and Israel to establish full diplomatic ties". Associated Press. August 13, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020. {{cite web}}: Cite uses deprecated parameter |authors= (help)
  20. ^ a b c d The Latest: US envoy: UAE-Israel deal 'huge win' for Trump. August 13, 2020. WTOP News. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  21. ^ staff, T. O. I. "Lauding normalized ties, Tel Aviv city hall lights up with flags of Israel, UAE". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  22. ^ a b Gearan, Anne; Hendrix, Steve. "Trump announces historic peace agreement between Israel and United Arab Emirates". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  23. ^ "Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba Statement Regarding Announcement Between Israel and United Arab Emirates". Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the United States. Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the United Arab Emirates. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  24. ^ "Oman supports UAE decision to normalise ties with Israel". August 14, 2020 – via uk.reuters.com.
  25. ^ Tom O'Connor (August 13, 2020). "Palestinians recall UAE ambassador, call deal with Israel "betrayal of Jerusalem"". Newsweek. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  26. ^ "Palestinian Authority recalls its envoy to UAE". New Straits Times. Agence-France Presse. August 14, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  27. ^ "Iran news agency tied to Revolutionary Guards calls UAE-Israel deal 'shameful'". Reuters. August 13, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  28. ^ "Iran: UAE-Israel deal a 'stab in the back' to Muslims". August 14, 2020 – via www.aljazeera.com.
  29. ^ a b "Turkey may suspend ties with UAE over Israel deal, Erdogan says". Reuters. August 14, 2020.
  30. ^ "Erdogan: Turkey may suspend ties with UAE over Israel deal". August 14, 2020 – via www.jpost.com.
  31. ^ "Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba Statement Regarding Announcement Between Israel and United Arab Emirates". The National. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  32. ^ "World reacts to UAE's opening diplomatic ties with Israel". Arab News. August 13, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  33. ^ "How the world reacted to UAE, Israel normalising diplomatic ties". www.aljazeera.com.
  34. ^ "Bahrain inquiry confirms rights abuses". Al Jazeera English. November 23, 2011. Archived from the original on October 4, 2012. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Israel–United_Arab_Emirates_normalization_agreement&oldid=973111097"