Abraham Accords Peace Agreement: Treaty of Peace, Diplomatic Relations and Full Normalization between the United Arab Emirates and the State of Israel or the Israel–United Arab Emirates normalization agreement was entered into on August 13, 2020 aimed at formally normalising relations between the two countries what has historically been robust but informal. The Abraham Accord between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain has been mediated by the USA. The move also comes in the wake of the Trump administration's repudiation of the Iran nuclear deal and following persistent Israeli suspicions that the Iranian nuclear program includes a program to develop atomic bomb capacities, something which Tehran denies. Currently, Iran and Saudi Arabia are engaged in backing different factions in proxy wars from Syria to Yemen, with the UAE supporting the Saudi-led and US-sponsored coalition against the Iran-aligned forces.

 

It is the first Arab-Israeli peace deal in 26 years. And the two Gulf States have, thus, joined Egypt and Jordan which had their peace treaties with Israel in 1979 and 1994, respectively. With this treaty, UAE becomes the first Gulf country to establish diplomatic and economic relations with Israel. The provisions of the treaty entail that the UAE and Israel would establish formal diplomatic relations and in exchange, Israel would suspend its plans to annex parts of the occupied West Bank. It also provides for working together with Israel across a range of sectors, including tourism, trade, healthcare and security. Abraham Accords also open the door for Muslims around the world to visit the historic sites in Israel and to peacefully pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, the third holiest site in Islam. In many ways the accord amounts to an arms deal. The UAE and other states that now engage with Israel will find themselves armed with a better class of American weaponry. The US has pledged for a very long time to maintain Israel’s qualitative military edge, but the UAE in particular might have arranged for itself a similar promise through this deal. 

 

For decades, there has been a consensus among many Arab and Muslim-majority states about maintaining a condition of hostility with Israel until it agrees to grant statehood to the Palestinians. The treaty on the other hand signifies that the Arabs have now begun to disengage themselves from the Palestine issue. The establishment of the diplomatic ties between these countries is hoped to have a positive impact on the entire region. 

 

On the other hand, there is a case to be made that this new push for normalisation will aid the cause of Israeli-Palestinian compromise. Palestinians want a viable independent state which is nowhere on the horizon. Egypt and Israel peace deal promises an autonomous self-governing authority in the West Bank and Gaza. The Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned the deal as a ‘dangerous’ stab in the back of Palestinians and Muslims, terming it a ‘shameful’ act by the UAE and Israel that would only serve to strengthen the ‘Axis of Resistance’ in the Middle East. It added that the Palestinians and people of the world would never forgive the UAE, while also warning it against Israel interfering in the Gulf.