Israel-UAE-Bahrain normalization deal has created a new Middle East
It shows what can be achieved when countries that for over 70 years failed to find common ground, come together in a show of peace, normalization and solidarity.
By YAAKOV KATZL to R: Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, U.S. President Donald Trump, Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al Zayani and United Arab Emirates (UAE) Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed wave and gesture from the White House balcony after a signing ceremony for the Abraham Accords. Septembe(photo credit: REUTERS/TOM BRENNER)
A new Middle East. That is what was created on Tuesday at the Israel-UAE-Bahrain normalization deal signed at the White House.It is a new Middle East because what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did with the foreign ministers of the UAE and Bahrain was to create not just a new reality that brings stability to the region against the looming threat from Iran, but it also presents the world with a new vision of what is possible.It shows what can be achieved when countries who for over 70 years failed to find common ground, come together in a show of peace, normalization and solidarity.What the UAE and Bahrain essentially did on Tuesday was to abandon the ways of the past, which mandated a rejection of Israel, a rejection of normalization with the Jewish state and a rejection of peace.What they also did was to help fulfill the dream and aspirations of what Israelis have always yearned for: to be accepted as equals in this region.That is all Israel has ever really wanted. It never sought war, conflict or strife. When David Ben-Gurion accepted the Partition Plan of 1947, he did so knowing that the state envisioned by the United Nations would be small and hard to defend. But, if the Arabs accepted the plan too, that would create a new reality. They, of course, did not, and instead embarked on a war to try and annihilate the nascent Jewish state.But Israel didn’t want war. It tried over the years to reach deals with its neighbors. And while it took time and too much bloodshed, Jordan (after three wars) and Egypt (after four wars) eventually came around. They, too, recognized what Menachem Begin famously declared in 1977: “No more war, no more bloodshed.”The lack of bloodshed and war between Israel, the UAE and Bahrain is exactly what makes the deals signed Tuesday so historic and groundbreaking. They don’t mean the end of hostilities, since there never were any hostilities. They don’t mean the end of war, as there never was war. Instead, these peace deals have the potential to usher in a new form of Israeli-Arab ties not seen before in this region.And we have all seen the warmth with which news of the normalization has been received in the UAE. Emiratis speak enthusiastically about the benefits of peace, of traveling to Israel and of hosting throngs of Israelis in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and beyond. The Jewish community has come out of the shadows and hotels have been ordered to make sure they are always stocked with kosher food.Just as important, however, is what these normalization deals mean for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the once accepted paradigms for how it can be solved. The idea, for example, that Israel will not be able to normalize ties with Gulf states without first withdrawing from the West Bank and giving the Palestinians a state, has been disproven.
This vision of a new Middle East will not be held hostage by an intransigent Palestinian leadership that has consistently rejected any attempt to move the conflict toward resolution since the Oslo Accords were signed at the White House 27 years ago.Does this mean Israel should ignore the Palestinians and continue searching for Arab countries further afield in which to build embassies without trying to establish one in Ramallah as well? No.Now, from a point of strength, Israel should use the momentum from the signing on Tuesday to try to pull the Palestinians to the negotiating table. It is not only what is right for the region, it is also what is needed for Israel.Will the Palestinians understand this? It’s too early to tell. For now, they have embraced the continued path of rejectionism and intransigence – and that’s not a surprise, considering that we mark the 20th anniversary this month of the outbreak of the Second Intifada, the last coordinated Palestinian uprising.In the meantime, this is an opportunity to celebrate. We can celebrate the history that was made on Tuesday, as well as the new Middle East that is being created before our eyes.It is also an opportunity to recognize Netanyahu’s accomplishment. The deals not only mark a new dawn for Israel but they are a feather in Netanyahu’s cap. He, against great odds, succeeded in overturning the accepted paradigm of how peace is achieved. He did this – and Israelis owe him a debt of gratitude.We owe him because, if done right, these deals with Bahrain and the UAE will outlive Netanyahu’s premiership and will outlive us all. They will remain for the benefit of our children, our grandchildren and future generations.We owe him gratitude, even as he continues to fail to manage the coronavirus crisis – and even though he continues to put politics before the people and populism before the pandemic. Is he still on trial for bribery, fraud and breach of trust? Of course.But for today, Israel can celebrate and imagine what is possible when recognition overcomes rejectionism and peace replaces hostility. This is the new Middle East.
