So Mark, what does this agreement mean for the Palestinians? The non-annexation of the West Bank seems to be a kind of achievement for the Palestinians. But it really brings the situation back to where it was before Netanyahu announced this aggressive move, this annexation of the West Bank. Normalizing relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates was part of the Abraham Agreement in August 2020. These agreements have enabled Israeli-Emirati negotiations to be conducted and include Emirati funding and technical know-how through an Emirati government company, Masdar. This company would build a large solar power plant in Jordan that would produce electricity by 2026. All the electricity produced would be sold to Israel for $180 million a year, which would contribute modestly to Israel`s goals of increasing its renewable energy and diversifying its energy sources, which mainly include large deposits of natural gas in Israel`s exclusive economic waters. Masdar, the Emirati company, would share the product with Jordan. In return, Israel has pledged to provide desalinated water from its Mediterranean coast, possibly through a new separate desalination plant, to produce 200 million cubic meters of water for Jordan, a significant boon to Jordan`s water supply. Longtime New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, who has been writing about international geopolitics for decades and frequently criticizing Trump`s policies, hailed the deal as “exactly what Trump said in his tweet: a `HUGE breakthrough.`” [41] The government of Oman publicly supported the agreement (which it called “historic”). [58] The Grand Mufti of Oman, Ahmed bin Hamad al-Khalili, indirectly criticized the treaty. [59] Iraqi government spokesman Ahmed Mulla Talal said that Iraq would not interfere in the sovereign affairs of other countries, but that its laws did not allow for the normalization of relations with Israel. [60] Bahrain`s foreign minister will attend the event and sign his own agreement to normalize relations with Israel, which President Donald Trump announced last week.
The agreement between Israel and the UAE promises to establish normal relations between the two countries. These include business relations, tourism, direct flights, scientific cooperation and, over time, comprehensive diplomatic relations at ambassadorial level. However, the Emiratis are unlikely to locate their embassy in Jerusalem. An important part of the Abraham Accords, while not explicitly stated, is increased security cooperation against regional threats, particularly from Iran and its proxies. It is important to note that Israel and the UAE have reportedly already established security relations, but the deal brings them to the public. The Turkish Foreign Ministry condemned the agreement, saying the history and peoples of the Middle East would not forgive or forget what the UAE had done, and that it was a violation of the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative. She called the UAE`s behavior hypocritical, adding that the Palestinians were right to reject the deal. [80] President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan later said turkey was considering suspending or severing diplomatic relations with the UAE in retaliation and recalled its ambassador from Abu Dhabi. [80] This agreement, if concluded, would set a new benchmark for Israeli-Jordanian civil cooperation. Countries have already cooperated on gas infrastructure with the sale of Israeli natural gas to Jordan. They even reached a preliminary agreement for a hydroelectric project that transports seawater from the Red Sea (at sea level) to the Dead Sea at -400 meters – the Red Dead project. However, the deal never materialized because Israel was concerned about the benefits of the project and the public was concerned about its impact on the Dead Sea.
However, none of the previous agreements would have had this effect in real terms, particularly in Jordan`s water supply. But the agreement generated an immediate reaction in the region on both sides of the ideological spectrum. At least some Israeli settlers and their political allies were disappointed that Mr. Netanyahu abandoned his plan to claim sovereignty over West Bank territory, while Palestinians felt abandoned by an Arab nation that left them trapped in an untenable status quo, even without the threat of annexation. On September 1, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused the UAE of betraying the Islamic world, Arab countries and Palestine. Khamenei said normalization will only be temporary, but the UAE will forever have to endure the shame of the deal. He accused them of working alongside Israel and Kushner against the interests of the Muslim world, hoping that the country will soon regret what it has done. [79] Aaron David Miller, a longtime Middle East peace negotiator who now works at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said the deal was “win-win-win-lose” because it brought diplomatic victories to the Emirates, Mr. Netanyahu, and Mr. Trump.
“The big losers are the Palestinians, who have seen the Arab world approach Israel and apparently reward Netanyahu for ignoring the Palestinians and undermining palestinian interests,” he said. Good news is a rare commodity in the Middle East. The same applies to practical progress on climate change. At COP26, the Heads of State and Government received a verification of the climate reality. Here`s what they need to do next. Samantha Gross and María Fernanda Espinosa Wednesday, November 17, 2021 Order of Chaos Jordan`s Crown Prince comes to the fore amid tense relations with Israel Bruce Riedel Monday, March 15, 2021 Global politics Climate change will be a major disruption. Are the world`s banks ready? David G. Victor and Michael Panfil Wednesday, November 17, 2021 On the other hand, what is the symbolism of this agreement is really very bad for the Palestinians. Because what it shows is that the UAE is ready to normalize its relations with Israel if there is no agreement that would give the Palestinians a state. This has always been the precondition for many of these Arab states to recognize Israel, that it should have made a deal with the Palestinians. It must have adopted the two-state solution. It did not adopt the two-state solution.
In fact, the two-state solution seems more distant than ever. And yet, the United Arab Emirates has reached this agreement. Palestinian nervousness will increase now that Bahrain has joined the agreement. Other leaders and factions, including the Islamic Jihad movement in Palestine, unanimously rejected the deal, according to Al Jazeera. The head of the Palestinian National Initiative, Mustafa Barghouti, said they were not surprised by the recent steps taken by the UAE and the fact that the Emiratis had never tried to fight Israel. He added that this could encourage other nations to ignore the Palestinian issue. Palestine Liberation Front leader Wasel Abu Yousef said the deal only gave Israel more influence over its occupation. ANP Social Affairs Minister Ahmed Majdalani said they knew nothing about the deal in advance and that the UAE had deceived others while unilaterally changing the Arab world`s approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. [67] But the “Abraham Accords,” as the agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates is called, constitute a significant shift in the balance of power in the Middle East and is portrayed by the White House as a major foreign policy coup. JERUSALEM, NOV 16 (Reuters) – Israel and the United Arab Emirates have begun talks to conclude a free trade agreement between the two countries, Israel`s Economy Ministry said on Tuesday. But the interesting moment comes a little later, when Sara Netanyahu, who has a great personality, suddenly intervenes with the ambassador that we would be happy to welcome you to Jerusalem.
And Otaiba`s reaction is very polite and very charming. And he nods. But it is somewhat non-binding. He doesn`t say, oh yes, of course, I`ll be there. Ordinary Palestinians have turned to social media to protest the deal, and some have also insulted the UAE. Meanwhile, Abbas Zaki, a member of Fatah`s Central Committee, called the agreement a violation of the Arab consensus on how to deal with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He accused the UAE of betraying Arabs and Palestinians before urging the ANP to step down its UAE ambassador, and also called on the Arab League to repeal the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative. [68] The South African Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation regretted that the agreement was reached without any consultation with the Palestinians, even though the agreement was linked to their future, and noted that the agreement does not guarantee a permanent suspension of the annexation of parts of the West Bank. [124] Today: For the first time in nearly 30 years, an Arab country has established full diplomatic relations with the State of Israel.
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