By Grace Hwang
Source: Associated Press
On August 13, 2020, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain agreed to normalize relations with Israel after Israel agreed to suspend its plans to annex parts of the West Bank, the area that has caused a prolonged territorial conflict between Israel and Palestine. This historic, US-brokered deal was formally signed on September 15.
This is the first time Israel and the two Gulf states have agreed to a full diplomatic relationship, which could lead to posting of ambassadors and potential agreements in areas such as investment and trade. This agreement could also bring a Middle East peace deal closer, as shared suspicion of Iran in recent years have warmed relations between Israel and several other Gulf states, and this recent accord could encourage other countries, such as Saudi Arabia and Oman, to do what the UAE and Bahrain have done.
The US ties into this accord, as the Trump administration had pushed for an agreement between Israel and the Gulf states for some time, in order to isolate Iran and increase their pressure on Iran. To help further the agreement, the US asked Israel to temporarily hold off on their plan to begin annexing parts of the West Bank. This led to the initial agreement from the UAE, and Bahrain later signed on as well.
However, this peace treaty does not end much conflict in the Middle East, as most tension occurs in regions in places such as Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, and Libya. In addition, the normalization of relations among these three countries without a peace treaty between Israel and Palestine decreases the chance of a two-state solution, Palestine’s desire to form a separate state in the West Bank apart from Israel.
Regardless, this agreement marks a monumental event in history, and only time will be able to tell what this will lead to in the future.
