Bahrain follows UAE, inks peace deal with Israel: How Middle East countries reacted

In what the United States boasts as the second breakthrough to normalise the situation in West Asia, Bahrain has signed a ''peace deal'' with Israel. This comes a month after United Arab Emirates (UAE) established full diplomatic relations with Israel, becoming third nation to do so in the region, after Jordan and Egypt. With these developments in the West Asia, US President Donal Trump claims that his administration has achieved major success in bringing peace in the region. However, not all has gone well with the neighbours of Israel and countries which have decided to recognise the Jewish state.

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Relation of Israel with other Arab countries

The Jewish state of Israel was formed in 1948, and since then the country has fought eight wars with its Arab neighbours. These wars predominantly stemmed from the conflict between Palestine and Israel. After World War II, demand for a homeland for Jews in the Arab dominated Palestine grew. Back then, Palestine was under the British mandate, but when it ended in 1947, the United Nations (UN) proposed an Arab-Jewish partition of Palestine. This partition plan mandated 53 percent of the land to the Jewish-majority state and 47 percent to the Palestinian-majority state. The Arab dominated West Asia did not accept a Jewish nation giving rise to conflict in the region. While Egypt and Jordan established diplomatic ties later, other Arab countries are of opinion that they would withhold recognition till the formation of Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. However, there has been a major shift recently. 

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Here's how the Arab nations reacted:

• Israel: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed development and called it a 'new phase of peace'. Netanyahu said that it took Israel 29 days to reach the agreement with Bahrain. Netanyahu also confirmed that other Arab countries will establish ties with Israel.
   
• Palestine: As the deal was announced, recalled its ambassador to Bahrain. The Palestinian Authority has condemned the deal calling it "a stab in the back of the Palestinian cause". In a statement, it said: "The Palestinian leadership strongly rejects and condemns the American-Bahraini-Israeli tripartite declaration. Foreign media quoted Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem saying that Bahrain's decision "represents a grave harm to the Palestinian cause, and it supports the occupation". The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), based in Ramallah called the normalisation "another treacherous stab to the Palestinian cause".
   
• Iran: In a statement, it said that now Bahrain is partner to crime of Israel. "The rulers of Bahrain will from now on be partners to the crimes of the Zionist regime as a constant threat to the security of the region and the world of Islam." 
   
• Turkey: The Turkish Foreign Ministry in a statement condemned the agreement and said that it is yet another blow to Palestinian cause. "It will further encourage Israel to continue illegitimate practices towards Palestine and its efforts to make the occupation of Palestinian lands permanent," the ministry statement said.
   
• UAE: The UAE foreign ministry has welcomed the move as the country established ties with Israel a month before. In a statement, it said: "The move represents a significant step towards an era of security and prosperity. It would expand the scope of economic, cultural, scientific, and diplomatic avenues of cooperation.
   
• Saudi Arabia: The Saudi officials have maintained their silence on the normalisation deal (till the time of publishing the article). Just two days earlier, a statement released by the Saudi Foreign Ministry on remarks made by Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan al Saud at Arab League meeting said that supported the establishment of a Palestinian state based on the borders before the 1967 Middle East war, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
   
• Jordan: In a statement, Jordan favoured the two-state solution, but took a balanced view on the deal. Country's foreign minister Ayman Safadi said that the necessary steps to achieve a fair and comprehensive peace in the region should come from Israel.
   
• Egypt: Taking to Twitter, President of Egypt Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said that the deal is an important step towards establishing stability and peace in the Middle East, and achieves a just and permanent settlement of the Palestinian issue.

   

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Making way for Trump's Nobel Prize?

The development also comes after US President Trump has been nominated for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize by Christian Tybring-Gjedde, a member of the Norwegian Parliament, because Trump brokered the deal for the normalisation of ties between the Israel and UAE. With yets another peace deal, it seems Trump administration is paving way for his Nobel Peace Prize.

The deals in the West Asian region comes after Trump's 'Middle East peace' plan announced in January failed to gain impetus. Trump had tasked his son-in-law Jared Kushner for bringing 'peace in the middle east.' With these deals seen to be as a major 'breakthrough', Kushner and Ivanka Trump claim that 'history' is made.