WATCH LIVE! Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the signing ceremony of the historic “Abraham Accords” with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, at the White House. https://t.co/YYgXG9JKCG— PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) September 15, 2020
WASHINGTON DC – US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met ahead of the signing of historic normalization agreements between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
“There will be about five different countries” that Israel will have peace with “very far down the road,” the president said, adding that the Jewish state made peace with two Arab countries in 72 years and an additional two in two months.
The two Gulf States become the third and fourth countries in the Middle East to recognize Israel and establish formal diplomatic relations with the Jewish State since Egypt did so in 1979 and Jordan in 1994, drastically re-drawing the political map in the region. Palestinian leaders have reacted furiously to the deals, which were done before a resolution could be found in their dispute with Israel. But Trump, who will be hosting the signing ceremony, and whose administration brokered the agreements between the parties, predicted that the Palestinians would eventually join in normalizing relations with Israel, or else will be “left out in the cold.”
“The Palestinians will absolutely be a member at the right time,” Trump said on Tuesday.
The president shoved off a question regarding annexation, saying that “we are not talking about that right now, it is working out well.”
He continued, “They’re tired of fighting” and that he thinks what Israel gets out of the deal is “peace.”
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On the sale of F-35 warplanes, Trump simply said that “we’ll work that out. It’s going to be an easy thing.”
Today is a HISTORIC day at the White House!President @realDonaldTrump welcomes the Prime Minister of Israel and the Foreign Ministers of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates for the signing of the Abraham Accords! pic.twitter.com/l5O0mCk398— The White House (@WhiteHouse) September 15, 2020
As Trump eluded, more countries are expected to follow as the region realigns in a strategic move against a belligerent Iran, which is being increasingly backed by Turkey under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
The UAE’s minister of state for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, said on Tuesday his country’s decision to normalize relations with Israel had “broken the psychological barrier” and was “the way forward” for the region, creating more leverage.
Several diplomatic sources have hinted that the Sultanate of Oman – which Netanyahu famously visited in 2018 – would be the next country to announce a normalization agreement with Israel. Oman’s leader spoke with Trump last week. Saudi Arabia, which allowed an Israeli and American delegation to cross its airspace in August for the first direct flight between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, is also said to be considering a warming of ties with Israel even though, Saudi leaders have said publicly that are not yet ready for full normalization.”Instead of focusing on past conflicts, people are now focused on creating a vibrant future filled with endless possibilities,” White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, who helped negotiate the agreements, said in a statement late on Monday.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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