Yesterday marked a historic moment as the United Arab Emirates along with Bahrain signed the Abraham Accords, recognizing the state of Israel and effectively normalizing relations. The effort led by US President Donald Trump culminated in a ceremony where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed agreements with Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al Zayani.
Abdullatif al-Zayani, Benjamin Netanyahu, Donald Trump, and Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan
“The people of the Middle East will no longer allow hatred of Israel to be fomented as an excuse for radicalism or extremism, And they’ll no longer allow the great destiny of their region to be denied,” the US president spoke at the ceremony. The accords make Bahrain and UAE the third and fourth Arab nations to normalize relations with the state after Egypt and Jordan.
יום גדול לעם ישראל. הבאנו שלום תמורת שלום, שלום מתוך עוצמה.
מהיום – עידן חדש של שלום במזרח התיכון 🇺🇸🇮🇱🇧🇭🇦🇪 pic.twitter.com/I51GX8BxYs— Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) September 15, 2020
“An exciting and a historic day for Israel! On the way to make peace for peace, peace through strength”
The meeting has been condemned by the Palestinians as “a sad day” calling it out to be a dangerous betrayal. The move counteracts the established understanding that normalizing relations with the contentious state depended on Palestine achieving statehood.
