For other correspondents reactions go to: BESA - https://tinyurl.com/yx9dnljr
Respondents: Lahav Harkov, Hillel Frisch, Asaf Romirowsky, Edy
Cohen, Alex Joffe, Spyridon Plakoudas, James Dorsey
Q: On August 13, 2020, in what President
Donald Trump called a “truly historic moment,” Israel and the United Arab
Emirates (UAE) agreed to a peace agreement called the Abraham Accord. The UAE
is thus the third Arab country, after Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994, to
formally normalize relations with Israel. Security cooperation, business
relations, tourism, direct flights, scientific collaboration, and many other
things are expected to flourish under the deal—but the implications for the
wider region are open questions.
Lahav Harkov, Diplomatic Correspondent, The Jerusalem Post
Two days after the big announcement of the peace deal,
the UAE lifted its ban on phone calls from Israel, with Israeli FM Gabi
Ashkenazi and his Emirati counterpart Abdullah bin Zayed inaugurating the newly
opened line of communication. And that is not the only case of an immediate
application of the terms of the deal. A team from the Israeli foreign ministry
is now in Abu Dhabi looking for a site for the future Israeli embassy; there is
a new flow of Emirati investment in Israeli companies working on innovative
ways to treat and test for the coronavirus; business deals are being drawn up
between Israeli start-ups and companies in the UAE; and Israir is working on
setting up direct flights from Tel Aviv to Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
There is also the possibility that this deal will have
a domino effect and inspire other states in the region to bring their
behind-the-scenes ties with Israel out into the open. Bahrain is widely
considered most likely to be the next Gulf State to make this move. Oman’s FM
Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah spoke with Ashkenazi soon after the UAE deal was
signed. Earlier this year, PM Benjamin Netanyahu met with Sudanese leader Abdel
Fattah Burhan, which could signal a coming breakthrough on that front as well.
Though Khartoum did fire a Sudanese FM spokesman for speaking on the subject—he
expressed hope that peace could be achieved based on comments made by Israeli
intelligence minister Eli Cohen—it has not denied that the two governments are
in contact.
There is a lot of talk about the UAE trying to buy
F-35s from the US. This makes Israel uncomfortable, as Netanyahu has told
Washington on multiple occasions that he opposes such deals as they would
compromise Israel’s qualitative military edge (QME). While this story did rain
on the Israeli peace parade somewhat, it is unlikely to threaten peace or
normalization with the UAE. An arms deal of that magnitude would take years to
be completed, and in the meantime, open ties between Jerusalem and Abu Dhabi
will have time to flourish. Plus, there are many steps along the way, in the
White House and at Congress, at which such a sale could be abandoned. It
remains to be seen how the F-35 story will end, and Israel is right to be wary
of any threats to its QME. But that should not put a damper on the historic
magnitude of this occasion
No comments:
Post a Comment