The White House released a Joint Statement with Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Thursday regarding a peace agreement between the nations. The agreement, known as the Abraham Accord, is designed to create a framework for a return to normal diplomatic relations between the Middle Eastern nations.
The White House says the agreement is the first Middle East peace accord since Israel and Jordan signed a peace treaty in 1994. The three nations “agreed to the full normalization of relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.”
Trump tweeted, “HUGE breakthrough today! Historic Peace Agreement between our two GREAT friends, Israel and the United Arab Emirates!”
Negotiating peace in the Middle East
The peace deal was the product of months of discussions between Israel, the UAE, and the U.S., White House officials said. Just a few months ago it seemed that Israel and the UAE were on the brink of war.
In January United Arab Emirates Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash was warning that any unilateral move by Israel to annex parts of the occupied West Bank would be a serious setback for the Middle East peace process. And Israeli Prime Miniseter Benjamin Netanyahu was insisting on extending Israeli sovereignty to territory Palestinians want for their own state.
