Opinion Analysis by Elie El Hajj, contributor and Tala Karkanawi, Staff Writer

September 15th, 2020

The israel-United Arab Emirates peace agreement was signed on the 13th of August 2020. The UAE was be the third Arab country, after Egypt (1979) and Jordan (1994), to have diplomatic relations with israel, and the first Gulf country to do so as well. Oman, Bahrain, and Morocco were expected to follow in their steps, and with the recent news of Bahrain officially commenting the process spectators are not surprised. Saudi Arabia may not take much longer, but it is not off the table as it was the Saudis who launched a peace plan in the Beirut Arab Summit in 2002 offering israel recognition. Arguably, several media outlets are claiming that this particular UAE-israel agreement has led to israel in delaying of annexation plans of the West Bank. 

The ruler of UAE has also ended the boycott of israel, bringing forward what is supposedly a normalisation between the two countries. This decree ends a 1972 law in which the UAE had implemented a year after their formation, which is a common policy towards israel that was made in the Arab world for the treatment of the israeli’s of Palestinians. 

A statement that was issued by President Trump, Netanyahu, and the ruler of UAE, Zayed says that ‘This historic diplomatic breakthrough will advance peace in the Middle East region and is a testament to the bold diplomacy and vision of the three leaders and the courage of the United Arab Emirates and Israel to chart a new path that will unlock the great potential in the region.’

In a tweet written by the ad media office of Abu Dhabi, both countries are set out to conduct plants for investment cooperation when they decided on common and mutual valuable partnership when it comes to development, innovation and the future of technology. Also, the UAE has already bought spyware from israel to keep their eyes on their citizens. This shows how both countries are set out for an economic relation more than a political one. 

However, others disagree claiming this is more of a war on Iran instead.

Leaders of the Gulf region are discussing that despite the hard sanctions being imposed on Iran in order to weaken its power both politically and economically, Iran has advanced rapidly in the middle east spreading its control all over Syria, Lebanon and Yemen with a fear of it spreading even more. Today, many argue that they have proxy parties and supporters all over those areas giving them an advantage in the region. israel shares the same concern which leads to the gulf allying with them in trying to resolve what they call, is an issue to the Middle East. Moreover, presidential elections are scheduled for next year in Iran, and this peace deal could encourage hard-line conservative candidates to go for the role as Iran is already isolated from multiple powerful countries. Iran’s foreign policy condemned the deal as ‘a dangerous stab in the back of Palestinians and Muslims. It is also a shameful act of strategic stupidity by the UAE and israel, and this would only serve to strengthen the axis of resistance in the middle east.’

This agreement also gives a phenomenal breakthrough for Trump, which is a foreign policy achievement as he waits for the elections in November. This brings extensive power to Trump as this puts him in the position of being the first ever US president, or any other president, to settle a peace agreement between israel and an Arab state since 1994 after Jordan has issued one. Trump also mentioned how peace with israel is also being discussed with other Middle Eastern countries. In addition, this also assists Netanyahu, who is facing major allegations on corruption and whose domestic popularity and admiration has dropped significantly during the pandemic and the way he has handled the COVID-19 situation. 

Oddly, but not surprisingly however, the UAE has mentioned that it will not stop supporting Palestine and the Palestinian people, however this agreement will support a two-state solution. The Palestinians did not react lightly to the situation and they mentioned how this does nothing for the Palestinians and ignores the rights of the Palestinian people that has been taken away from them for years now. 

Sayed Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s Secretary General, called the agreement a ‘betrayal against Islam, Arabism, Jesusalem and the Palestinians.’ He also mentioned how this is only a favour done by the UAE to Trump in order to help him for the upcoming presidential elections in November, in a televised speech.

Multiple consequences might rise from the peace deal that has been completed, the first one is the annexation of the west bank. Annexation has been delayed, but it was not taken off the table. As well as the issue with Iran; the security dilemma between both countries will get worse, especially with Iran’s foreign ministry and his speech on tightening the axis of resistance in the middle east against the so called betrayal. Moreover, the peace deal will be treated as a test case for the rest of the Arab countries especially since UAE is the third Arabic country to fully normalize relations with israel. 

Turkey has also criticized the agreement adding it to the ongoing disputes they already have with the UAE, from the issues with Libya, to the blockade of Qatar alongside other gulf countries and their problem with Qatar, and finally, the disputes for natural gas in the eastern Mediterranean. Erdogan has threatened to cut ties off completely with the UAE, complicating diplomacy and positive relations in the middle east region as Turkey has clearly decided to align themselves with countries in opposition to Israel and U.S. allies.

Rather than seeing how the UAE-Israel deal could irritate and alienate Iran and drive Turkey, a NATO ally, further into the grip of anti-American forces, U.S. and israeli decision-makers have applied domino imagery as they applaud the settlement. 

The matter with Arab countries allying themselves with israel is a fundamental issue that concerns us all. It is not a dilemma and it is not a neutral topic either. Recognizing israel as a state, is as well accepting israel’s occupation to Palestine, and erasing all the years the Arabs have been fighting for the land. It is as well as accepting all genocides that were done, ignoring the pain and the suffering that was done by israel on multiple Arab countries. Not to ignore the refugee crisis and the identity crisis that is affecting us and the Palestinians as well. As Ghasan Kanafani (1936-1972) once said, ‘Everything in this world can be robbed and stolen, except one thing; this one thing is the love that emanates from a human being towards a solid commitment to a conviction or a cause.’ Before claiming a side on whether this deal is what is progressive for the region and whether other middle eastern countries should follow as well, read the history of what Israel is, fundamentally speaking, but more critical how it has become what it is today. Read about the Arab spring that has been long forgotten, the 2006 israeli war in Lebanon, the israeli intervention in the Lebanese civil war, and what their true intention behind every deal is. In addition to the violation of the human rights they’re applying on Palestine and the genocides and the war against humanity they’re conducting for years now. It is not about making the Middle Aast a better region, this issue is more of a fundamentally ethical one rather than a political one. The history of Jerusalem is much deeper than that, and should not be occupied nor taken away from the rights of the Palestinians and the people of the land.