The Middle East Agreement
Many long-time Middle East analysts and former officials have expressed doubts about the impact of the signatures. The government of Oman has publicly supported the agreement (which it described as « historic »). [58] The Grand Mufti of Oman, Ahmed bin Hamad al-Khalili, indirectly criticized the treaty. [59] Ahmed Mulla Talal, spokesman for the Iraqi government, said that Iraq would not interfere in the sovereign affairs of other countries, but that its laws did not allow for the normalization of relations with Israel. [60] President Trump said the agreements to normalize relations marked « the beginning of a new Middle East, » but some analysts said his assertions were excessive. As a condition of the UAE`s agreement to normalize relations, Mr. Netanyahu agreed to freeze his plan to annex parts of the West Bank. But the Palestinians seemed to be a reflection barely mentioned in the official remarks of the day. India welcomed the agreement and said that the two nations were its allies and that it had always supported peace and prosperity in West Asia. Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar had previously said that UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan had called him to discuss the agreement.
[125] Israel and the United States hope that the agreements can initiate a great change in the region if other Arab nations, particularly Saudi Arabia, follow this example. This could have implications for Iran, Syria and Lebanon. Until now, Israel had only peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan. Jared Kushner, the trump administration official who participated in the negotiations of the agreement, told CBS News that the deal would make the Middle East more peaceful and hopeful, meaning fewer U.S. troops would have to be deployed in the region. [43] Foreign Affairs Minister Mike Pompeo said the agreement was an important step toward stabilizing the region and was good for the world. [44] Bilateral agreements formalize the normalization of Israel`s already thawed relations with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, in accordance with their common opposition to Iran. But the agreements do not address decades of conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, who see the pacts as a blow to the back of their Arab colleagues and a betrayal of their cause for a Palestinian state.
