US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that Israel and the United Arab Emirates would establish “full normalization of relations” and that in exchange Israel would forgo for now “declaring sovereignty” over occupied West Bank territory. He said the deal would normalize diplomatic relations and begin cooperation in areas such as security, trade and tourism.
“Just a few moments ago, I hosted a very special call with two friends, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed of the United Arab Emirates, where they agreed to finalize a historical peace agreement,” said Trump as quoted by the New York Times.
According to him, after 49 years, Israel and the United Arab Emirates will fully normalize their diplomatic relations and they will exchange embassies and ambassadors, and begin cooperation across the board and on a broad range of areas, including tourism, education, health care, trade and security. “This is a truly historic moment. By uniting two of America’s closest and most capable partners in the region — some people said could not be done — this deal is a significant step towards building a more peaceful, secure and prosperous Middle East.”
“As a result of this diplomatic breakthrough and at the request of President Trump with the support of the United Arab Emirates, Israel will suspend declaring sovereignty over areas outlined in the President’s Vision for Peace and focus its efforts now on expanding ties with other countries in the Arab and Muslim world,” according to a statement released by the White House and described as a joint declaration of Israel, the Emirates and the United States.
If fulfilled, the agreement would make the Emirates the third Arab country to establish normal diplomatic relations with Israel after Egypt, which signed a landmark peace agreement in 1979, and Jordan, which signed a treaty in 1994. It could reorder the long stalemate in the region, potentially leading other Arab nations to follow suit in an increasingly open alignment with Israel against their mutual enemy in Iran while taking Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s explosive annexation plan off the table, at least for the moment.
But it generated an immediate backlash among some Israeli settlers and their political allies who have been eager to establish sovereignty over West Bank territory, as well as from Palestinians who felt abandoned by an Arab nation to remain locked in an untenable status quo even without the threat of annexation looming.
