‘Historic’ Progress Made in Middle East Peace Process Thanks to President Trump

While much of the world is still fraught with economic and medical peril on account of the coronavirus crisis, President Donald Trump has ushered in a new chapter in the quest for peace in the Middle East.

The announcement came on Thursday, and is set to usher in a “complete” normalization of the relationship between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

Israel and the United Arab Emirates announced on Thursday that they will normalise diplomatic ties and forge a broad new relationship, a move that reshapes the order of Middle East politics from the Palestinian issue to Iran.

Under the accord, which U.S. President Donald Trump helped broker, Israel has agreed to suspend its planned annexation of areas of the occupied West Bank. The agreement also firms up opposition to regional power Iran, which the UAE, Israel and the United States view as the main threat in the conflict-riven Middle East.

Everyone involved in the deal seemed to be pleased at the outcome.

A joint statement said Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed had “agreed to the full normalisation of relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates”.

“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,” the statement said.

In a separate statement, the crown prince stressed that the agreement would stop further Israeli annexation of Palestinian territories, which Israel has said had been awaiting a green light from Washington.

President Trump hinted at the possibility of other, similar accords that are currently in the offing, but gave no specific details as of yet.