The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

Bahrain welcomes agreement between Israel and the Emirates

2020-08-15T11:00:59.980Z


The surprising rapprochement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates is met with divided reactions. Bahrain is now the first Gulf state to praise the agreement.


Icon: enlarge

The King of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, on a visit to Moscow in 2016

Photo: imago stock & people / imago / ITAR-TASS

The Kingdom of Bahrain welcomes the announcement by Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to normalize their relationship. As the state news agency BNA reports, the Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa congratulated the Emirates. The agreement is a "historic step towards peace". She will stabilize the Middle East and ensure the security, progress and prosperity of the people in the region. He congratulated the Crown Prince of the Emirates, Mohammed bin Zayed, in a phone call.

Israel and the United Arab Emirates announced the establishment of diplomatic relations on Thursday. An agreement between the two states also provides that Israel will for the time being renounce planned annexations in the West Bank, which the Palestinians claim for their own state. The agreement preserves a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians, said Bahrain's King Hamad.

Until now, it has been considered taboo for Arab states to conclude agreements with Israel before the Middle East conflict is resolved. According to reports, Israel and the Emirates have long had secret contacts. From the Arab region, Israel has so far only maintained official relations with its neighbors Jordan and Egypt. The Emirates would now be the third Arab country.

Bahrain was the first of the six Gulf states to welcome the agreement on Saturday. In addition to Bahrain and the Emirates, the Gulf Cooperation Council also includes Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar.

Other countries in the region had previously condemned the agreement. The Iranian Foreign Ministry said on Friday that it was a "strategic stupidity" that could only strengthen the "axis of resistance in the region".

The Turkish Foreign Ministry also sharply criticized the announcement. With the agreement, the Emirates would have betrayed the interests of the Palestinians, it said in a message from the ministry on Friday. The people of the region would never forget or forgive the hypocritical behavior of the Emirates.

The Palestinian leadership also condemned the agreement. President Mahmoud Abbas's office said it was rejecting the "sudden announcement" by both countries. It was a blow to the Saudi peace initiative and the declarations of the Arab League, as well as aggressive action against the Palestinian people.

The federal government welcomed the agreement on Friday. Government spokesman Steffen Seibert spoke of a "future-oriented agreement" that would advance the balance and partnership between Israel and the Arab world. "Every establishment of diplomatic relations between Israel and Arab states is a contribution to peace in the region," said Seibert. "And we hope that this agreement will open the way to a negotiated two-state solution again."

Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (SPD) also praised the agreement. "The normalization of relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates is an important contribution to peace in the region. It is good that the Israeli government is suspending its annexation plans," said Maas after a phone call with Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi on Friday.

Icon: The mirror

ply / dpa / AFP

Source: spiegel

All news articles on 2020-08-15

You may like

News/Politics 2024-03-10T18:19:26.348Z

Trends 24h

News/Politics 2024-03-27T16:45:54.081Z

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.