Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the foreign ministers of Bahrain and the UAE sealed the accords establishing full diplomatic ties with a ceremony on a flag-decorated White House South Lawn.
Hundreds of guests attended the event, which Trump is hoping will boost his reelection chances in November, but there were no handshakes to cement the historic agreements in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Bahrain and the UAE are the first Arab nations to establish relations with Israel since Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994, and Trump hailed it as a “historic day for peace.” “After decades of division and conflict we mark the dawn of a new Middle East,” he said.
Trump said the agreements, which have been denounced as a “betrayal” by the Palestinians, “will serve as the foundation for a comprehensive peace across the entire region.” Speaking later to reporters, he said Israel would enter into similar deals with up to nine other countries, including regional power Saudi Arabia.
Netanyahu said the day heralded “a new dawn of peace.” “Ultimately it can end the Arab-Israeli conflict once and for all,” he added.
“To all of Israel’s friends in the Middle East… I say as-salaam alaikum, peace unto thee, shalom.”
As the accords were being signed in Washington, rockets were fired into Israel from the Gaza Strip, injuring two people and prompting Israeli air strikes on the territory.AFP
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