The agreement did not fail to be presented as "historic" by Benyamin Netanyahu. Entangled in court cases, in bickering with his partner in power Benny Gantz, and having to manage the Covid-19 epidemic which has damaged the economy of his country, the Israeli Prime Minister announced on Thursday a normalization of relations diplomatic relations between the Hebrew State and the United Arab Emirates.
This would make the Emirates the third Arab country with which Israel maintains diplomatic relations after the peace accords with Egypt (1979) and Jordan (1994). With the agreement, ambassadors will be able to settle in and direct air links between Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi will be established, Netanyahu said in a televised address.
Donald Trump congratulates his "great friends"
The first of this announcement, however, went to Donald Trump, who has not ceased since his arrival at the White House to make a rapprochement between the views of Netanyahu and those of Washington. It is "a HUGE step forward", tweeted the American president, referring to a "historic peace agreement between our two BIG friends".
HUGE breakthrough today! Historic Peace Agreement between our two GREAT friends, Israel and the United Arab Emirates!
- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 13, 2020According to Sheikh Mohammed ben Zayed Al-Nahyane, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, this agreement provides that Israel puts an end to "any further annexation of Palestinian territories". For the UAE's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Anwar Gargash, this agreement even paves the way for the two-state option.
A "postponement" of the annexation and not a renunciation
We remember that at the beginning of the year, Donald Trump stood alongside Benjamin Netanyahu to present a peace plan between Israelis and Palestinians which did not fail to arouse the consternation of the latter as well as of European countries. This plan simply offered Israel the possibility of annexing Jewish territories and settlements in the West Bank, considered illegal under international law.
But if we listen to Benjamin Netanyahu this time, things are not that clear. Normalizing relations between the two countries would only have the effect of "postponing" Israeli annexation plans. The Prime Minister ensures that he has not drawn a final line on this option. “I brought peace, I will achieve annexation,” he even declared. A position which should allow it not to completely alienate a whole part of the population favorable to the annexation of these colonies and which constitutes a good part of its electoral base.
Emergency meeting on the Palestinian side
Unsurprisingly, Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist movement in power in the Gaza Strip, condemned and rejected this agreement which "does not serve the Palestinian cause but is seen as a continuation of the denial of the rights of the Palestinian people", according to its spokesperson. lyrics by Hazem Qassem.
For his part, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called an “emergency meeting” Thursday evening of the Palestinian leadership to discuss the announcement.