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This unexpected message was first announced by US President Donald Trump, who tweeted a “BIG BREAKTHROUGH” and added that it was a “historic peace agreement between our two BIG friends.”
He said the leaders of the two countries would formally sign the treaty in about three weeks during a White House ceremony. The planned event brought back memories of the signing of other Middle East peace accords in Washington.
The pursuit of diplomatic relations between Israel and Washington’s allies in the Middle East is an important goal of Trump’s regional strategy, while the United States seeks to stop Iran, the main enemy of the Jewish state in the region.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a “historic day” had dawned and the move would usher in a “new era” for the Arab world and the Jewish state.
Reuters / Photo by Scanpix / Benjamin Netanyahu
At the time, the Palestinians vehemently rejected the deal. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s report calls the move “aggression” against the Palestinian people and a “betrayal” of their aspirations, including the desire to establish part of Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.
The Palestinians also announced the withdrawal of their ambassador from the United Arab Emirates and demanded that a meeting of the Arab League be convened urgently.
The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, was quick to say that the deal “will not serve Palestinian aspirations.”
A joint statement by Trump, Netanyahu and the leader of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, said they had agreed to “fully normalize relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.”
It also affirms that “Israel will suspend the declaration of sovereignty” in part of the territories of its occupied West Bank. The annexation project was included in Trump’s previously controversial Israeli-Palestinian conflict resolution plan.
Sheikh Mohamed soon underlined in a Twitter message that “during a telephone conversation with President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu, an agreement was reached to suspend further annexation of the Palestinian territories to Israel.”
But Netanyahu, speaking on national television, said the annexation of the West Bank had only been postponed and that the plan itself was still “on the table.” The prime minister added that “he will never deny our rights to his lands.”
“Smart management”
Trump’s controversial plan unveiled in January offers Israel an opportunity to join parts of the West Bank, including Jewish settlements there, which are considered illegal under international law.
The Palestinians and Israel’s Arab neighbors immediately rejected the plan as biased and unworkable. It was also feared that the Trump administration’s proposal would only exacerbate tensions in the region.
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Thursday expressed hope that the new agreement will help implement the two-state solution to end the Middle East conflict.
According to him, annexation would “effectively close the door” to negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian leaders and frustrate the possibility of implementing the two-state solution and “frustrate the prospect” of creating a viable Palestinian state.
Israel’s ties with its Muslim and Arab neighbors have been overshadowed by deep opposition and several wars since the founding of the Jewish state in 1948. Most states in the region have so far refused to maintain diplomatic relations with Israel until that the conflict between the Jewish state and the Palestinians be resolved.
The agreement reached on Thursday paves the way for the UAE to become the third Arab state to establish diplomatic relations with Israel. In the past, peace agreements have been made with former Israeli opponents to Egypt and Jordan.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who signed an agreement with Israel in 1979 despite opposition from all other Arab countries, praised the new agreement to “suspend the annexation of Palestinian land to Israel” and expressed hope. to help bring peace.
Scanpix / AP Photo / Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi
The deal also marks a major foreign policy achievement for Trump, who is preparing for an uphill battle for a second term ahead of the US presidential election in November.
His future rival, Democrat Joe Biden, also praised the “landmark agreement” as an “act of prudent civil service.”
Trump, for his part, hinted to reporters that more diplomatic advances were expected between Israel and the Arab states in the region, but did not provide any other details.
“Addiction trap”
Richard Haass, director of the council’s non-governmental center for strategic research, Richard Haass, told AFP that the new agreement was an important guide to the Arab countries’ determination to recognize Israel.
Furthermore, the move will be “a brake on annexation that could endanger Israel’s peace with Jordan and the future of Israel itself as a democratic Jewish state,” he said.
UAE Says It Has Prevented Annexation; The United States also avoids annexation and achieves a breakthrough, while Netanyahu achieves a great victory and gets out of the annexation trap.
Delegations from Israel and the United Arab Emirates are scheduled to meet in the coming weeks to discuss investments, tourism, direct flights, security and the establishment of embassies, both sides said.
Israel, the United Arab Emirates and the United States have expressed confidence that similar agreements will be reached with other countries, the troika said in a statement.
A few hours after the announcement of the agreement reached, the Tel Aviv City Hall building lit the colors of the United Arab Emirates flag.
Aaron David Miller, a veteran negotiator for the Middle East process and an analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said the agreement reached was a “win-win situation.”
“The UAE says they have prevented annexation; “The United States is also avoiding annexation and making a breakthrough, and Netanyahu is achieving a great victory and a way out of the annexation trap,” he wrote on Twitter.
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