On September 15, President Trump received Emirati Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed, Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif al-Zayani and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, signing historic new standardization agreements on the White House lawn. A first look at the text of these documents – a whole called the Abraham Accords – shows where they resurgent israel`s earlier agreements with Egypt and Jordan and, more importantly, depart. Following the agreement signed between the parties in Abu Dhabi on 1 September 2020, the parties are cooperating to deepen and rapidly expand bilateral investment relations and place a high priority on the conclusion of financial and investment agreements, while recognizing the key role of these agreements for the economic development of the parties and the Middle East as a whole. The parties reaffirm their commitment to protecting investors, consumers, market integrity and financial stability and maintaining all applicable regulatory standards. The parties also recognize that they should jointly promote regional economic development and trade in goods and services and strive to promote cooperation in strategic regional infrastructure projects and envisage the creation of a multilateral working group on the Tracks for Regional Peace project. If the so-called Abraham Agreements put Iran and its pro-terrorism deputies on their feet, that is fine. If they ensure that Israel does not live up to the reality that its continued control over the lives of millions of Palestinians threatens its democratic character, the Palestinian aspiration for citizenship and the Israeli dream of a free and strong democratic port in the Jewish homeland could be sacrificed. An accurate reading of Israel`s agreements with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain shows how their strictly bilateral focus could affect the chances of engagement between citizens and regional security cooperation, depending on the political will of each government. White House staff, who have called the agreement “The Abraham Accords,” should ensure that these agreements are not only an agreement between governments, but also among their citizens. Education can make that possible. The recent agreement between Mohammed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence in the United Arab Emirates and The Weizmann Institute of Science of Israel on cooperation in the development and use of artificial intelligence is an important first step. Israel`s place in the region.
The United Arab Emirates Agreement contains a passage on how Arabs and Jews are “from the same ancestor, Abraham,” and that they are both from the Middle East. Such a formulation is important because it clearly refutes the Arab world`s long-standing assertions that Zionism is foreign to the region. The other possibilities are Oman and Morocco. And while Saudi Arabia is not officially a party to the agreement, the kingdom`s close relations with the Emiratis and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman`s direct contact with Jared Kushner indicate their agreement. What`s in a name? The interim text is longer than the Bahrain agreement, as the two governments had time to organize a round of bilateral working groups in the weeks leading up to the signing ceremony (they addressed issues such as civil aviation and investment, although there are of course more technical possibilities to be resolved in the coming months). Israeli government officials wanted the UAE agreement to be called a “peace treaty” to put it on an equal footing with previous treaties – they cited similar examples in modern history where countries that are not in direct conflict have called their agreements “peace agreements.” Finally, the document is entitled “Abraham Peace Agreement: Peace Treaty, Diplomatic Relations, and Full Normality between the United Arab Emirates and the State of Israel.” The agreement is a victory for Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and de facto ruler of the Emirates; Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Ar
