'Big step': US-brokered Israel and UAE reach historic agreement

Investments, direct flights, tourism development, technology and security sectors are just a few of the plans of Israel and the United Arab Emirates for the near future. The agreement became known on August 12, immediately after a telephone conversation between US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammed bin Zayed, says "Voice of America".

Photo: Shutterstock

The head of the White House called the agreement a breakthrough and expressed hope that other Arab countries would follow the example of the UAE.

“By bringing together two of the United States' closest and most effective partners in the region in a way that everyone thought was impossible, this deal is a huge step forward toward building a peaceful, secure and prosperous Middle East,” Trump said. “Now that the ice has broken, I expect other Arab and Muslim countries to follow this path.”

The deal was called the Abraham Accords after the religious figure in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. As part of the agreement, Israel agreed to give up establishing control over territories in the West Bank. Benjamin Netanyahu said he had "put aside" these plans, but they remain "on the table." Establishing control would make parts of the West Bank officially part of Israel, dealing a blow to Palestinian plans to create their own state, writes Air force.

The UAE, in turn, as a result of the new agreement, will become the third Arab country after Egypt and Jordan to establish relations with Tel Aviv. However, according to experts, Israel has had secret communication channels with the Gulf countries for a long time. Now the secret is becoming clear, not least in light of the growing threat from Iran.

“Israel and the United Arab Emirates have had a relationship for decades,” says Osama Khalil, a professor at Syracuse University. “And although they were secret, this is not the first time that countries have begun a dialogue. This relationship expanded further in the early 2000s, following 11/XNUMX and the onset of the Arab Spring. And part of this relationship is aimed at reducing Iran’s influence in the region.”

The signing of the agreement is a wake-up call for the Palestinian Authority. Its leader, Mahmoud Abbas, experts say, is losing support among the leaders of Arab states. Further developments of the situation will largely depend on the position of Saudi Arabia.

“The Saudi heir, Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, has made a number of statements and moves that can be described as pro-Israel, in contrast to the policies of his father, who was an ardent supporter of the Palestinians,” says Varsha Koduvaer of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. “The statements from Riyadh are key to understanding the trajectory that other Gulf countries will take in light of this deal. Kuwait and Qatar are likely to criticize the agreement.”

For Netanyahu, this is a victory not only in foreign policy, but also in domestic policy, after a series of corruption scandals and the crisis associated with the global pandemic. The agreement is an opportunity to strengthen a shaky coalition.

“Part of Netanyahu’s coalition opposes the peace plan proposed by the Trump administration,” says Osama Khalil. “They don’t want any mention of a Palestinian state.” The agreement with the United Arab Emirates is an opportunity for Netanyahu to say that his long-term strategy is working and that he hoped Arab countries would side with Israel against Iran. Tel Aviv will build relations with all Arab states and the Palestinians will have to surrender.”

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Trump's foreign policy victory

The agreement marks a major foreign policy victory for Donald Trump's administration as well ahead of November's elections, observers say.

President Trump's top adviser Jared Kushner told CBS that he and President Trump have been working on a deal between Israel and the UAE since Trump came to power.

The agreement reportedly caught Palestinian leaders by surprise. A spokesman for President Mahmoud Abbas said the deal was "high treason."

Until now, Israel has not had diplomatic relations with the Gulf countries. But shared concerns about Iran have led to unofficial contacts between the two.

Since Israel's declaration of independence in 1948, it has signed peace agreements with only two other Arab countries—Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994. Mauritania, a member of the Arab League in northwest Africa, established diplomatic relations with Israel in 1999 but severed ties in 2010.

Both sides are expected to sign an agreement in Washington in three weeks. The normalization of relations will include the opening of embassies on each other's territory.

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Israel and UAE open direct dial telephone

Israel and the United Arab Emirates have opened direct telephone communications between their countries after an agreement to normalize relations.

The statement said that the foreign ministers of the two countries called each other and "exchanged greetings following the conclusion of a historic peace agreement."

Israel's Ministry of Communications said that telecom operators in the UAE have unblocked calls to numbers with country code +972.

“I congratulate the United Arab Emirates on the unblocking,” said Israeli Communications Minister Yoaz Handel. “Many economic opportunities will now open up, and these confidence-building steps are important to advance countries’ interests.”

In another sign of a new, closer relationship, the two countries signed an agreement on the Covid-15 study on August 19.

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