Published 15:32 IST, September 16th 2020
Abraham Accord: Netanyahu thanks Donald Trump for 'standing by Israel's side'
Hours after signing the historic Abraham accord, Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu offered his gratitude to his longtime ally and broker of the deal US President.
Hours after signing the historic Abraham accord, Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu offered his gratitude to his longtime ally and broker of the deal US President Donald Trump. Taking to Twitter, Netanyahu thanked Trump for ‘unequivocally standing by Israel’s side’ and confronting the ‘tyrants of Tehran’. He also lauded him proposing a ‘realistic’ vision for peace between Israel and Palestinians.
While both UAE and Bahrain had never supported or opposed the Palestinian cause, Israel had openly announced claim over the Palestinian held land. Trump, who supports Jerusalem's claim, had first proposed the peace agreement between his ‘three great friends’ in August. Almost a month later, on September 15, Trump was joined by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and foreign ministers of the UAE and Bahrain at the White House to ink the historic Abraham Accord.
The Agreement recalls the reception held on January 28, 2020, at which the president first presented his 'Vision for Peace' and commitment to continue collective effort to achieve a 'just, comprehensive, realistic and enduring' solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict. The 7-page long document emphasised the belief that the normalisation of Israeli and Emirati relations is in the interest of both peoples and contributes to the cause of peace in the Middle East and ultimately the world.
Origins and historical impact
Abraham Accord was named as such to honour the patriarch of three major Abrahamic religions — Christianity, Islam and Judaism. Since the creation of the State of Israel in 1948 and the exodus of more than 7.5 lakh Palestinians from the area there have only been two peace agreements brokered between Israel and other Arab countries. However, after the explosive news of UAE agreeing to sign the accord to normalise relations, rumours have swelled up over Bahrain and Oman soon following suit. Here's a look at some of the previous attempts to broker normalisation deals between Israel and the rest of West Asia and North Africa.
Updated 15:32 IST, September 16th 2020