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Friday, September 11, 2020
US President Trump sees himself as the architect of Middle East peace. It wants to mediate widely between Israel and the hostile Arab world for a long time. After the pact with the United Arab Emirates, he now announces another peace treaty.
After the United Arab Emirates (UAE), according to the US government, the Kingdom of Bahrain also wants to establish diplomatic relations with Israel. US President Donald Trump spoke of “another historic breakthrough” on Twitter.
“Our two great friends, Israel and the Kingdom of Bahrain, agree to a peace agreement.” The United Arab Emirates and Israel intend to sign their agreement on the normalization of their relations announced in mid-August at the White House on Tuesday next week. Trump awaits Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Emirati Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Sajid in Washington for the “historic” occasion of September 15. In a joint communication from the United States, Bahrain and Israel, it was said that Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdullatif al-Sajani would sign a “declaration of peace” with Netanyahu at the ceremony.
The agreements would make the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain the third and fourth Arab countries, after Egypt and Jordan, which currently have diplomatic relations with Israel. In exchange for the deal, Israel wants to suspend the planned annexation of areas in the occupied West Bank, which the Palestinians claim for their own state.
Trump hopes the Palestinians are ready to speak
Trump was committed to the rapprochement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. After the breakthrough, he repeatedly hoped for further progress and even spoke of a possible “Middle East peace.” On Thursday, the president said at the White House that another country could follow the example of the United Arab Emirates. “And I tell you, there are countries lining up to join.” He is also in conversation with Saudi King Salman.
Trump was optimistic Thursday that the Palestinians would once again show their willingness to speak out if the countries that supported them followed the course of the United Arab Emirates. The Palestinians have boycotted the US government since Trump unilaterally recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in late 2017 and moved the US embassy from Tel Aviv in May 2018. He accuses Trump of a unilateral pro-Israel policy.
Trump announces his Israel-friendly Middle East policy in the election campaign, with which he wants to score points in particular with the evangelical electorate that is important to him. It has traditionally been positive about Israel. At the same time, the president of the United States is promoting his course against Israel’s archenemy, Iran.
Saudi Arabia left the treaty without comment
The Kingdom of Bahrain is a close ally of Saudi Arabia and the Emirates. The three countries jointly imposed the blockade on their Gulf neighbor Qatar in 2017. Bahrain was one of the first to congratulate the UAE on its historic treaty with Israel. King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa called it a “historic step towards peace.” Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, left the treaty largely uncommented, referring to its own peace initiative on the 2002 Middle East conflict.
Bahrain also has close ties with the United States. The fifth US fleet is stationed there. Last year, the Gulf state and Washington hosted a controversial economic conference for the Palestinians in their capital, Manama. While Bahrain, like its Arab Gulf neighbors, is ruled by a Sunni ruling house, the majority of the population is Shiite. Traditionally, the country has close ties to Iran, which is also Shiite, and Israel’s arch enemy.
