Israel, UAE, Bahrain ink US-brokered "Abraham Accord" to normalize ties

(Karachi) Israel and two Gulf Arab nations, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, inked historic diplomatic deals to normalize relations, media reported on Tuesday. The agreement signing ceremony was held at the White House and hosted by US President Donald Trump.

The peace deal is known as the "Abraham Accord,” which has been named after “the father of all three great faiths,” Christian, Muslim, and Jewish.

The initiative aims to herald a dramatic shift in Middle East power dynamics and give the US president a boost ahead of the November election. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed agreements with Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan and Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al Zayani.

The deals make them the third and fourth Arab states to take such steps to normalize ties since Israel signed peace treaties with Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994.

Meanwhile, protests erupted in Palestine, Bahrain and UAE over signing of the deal. Thousands of protesters took to streets shouting anti-US and Anti-Israel slogans. The peace pact has been widely criticized mostly by heads of Muslim states who see it as a conspiracy to create rifts and harm unity among the Muslim world.

Earlier, Israel and the United Arab Emirates reached a historic peace deal that will help the two states to normalize diplomatic relations.

According to the agreement, Israel will suspend applying sovereignty to areas of the West Bank that it planned to annex.

The peace deal was struck after several discussions were held between the officials of Israel, UAE and the United States. Reportedly, Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed agreed to the terms of the pact on a phone call.

In a joint statement issued by the three nations, it stated the three leaders had “agreed to the full normalization of relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.”