Israel-United Arab Emirates Agreement: 5 Important Questions Answered
- Yagyansh Nassa
- Aug 21, 2020
- 5 min read
August 13, 2020, was a momentous day for the residents of Israel and United Arab Emirates (hereinafter ‘UAE’), and also is being considered as a harbinger of changing geopolitical and political conditions in the Middle East, as on this day both these states agreed to ‘normalise’ their relations with each other. The middle eastern countries and Israeli state have been at loggerheads with each other ever since and have had little or no diplomatic ties with each other. President of the United States of America, Donald J. Trump, publicly revealed that he ‘brokered’ the agreement between the two states, as part of his Middle East Peace Plan. Though, the UAE’s step to establish full diplomatic relations with Israel and to formulate an agreement has attracted criticism from the Islamic world (especially from Iran), the other countries and the United Nations have welcomed the pact. Let’s understand the event (i.e. agreement) and its consequences a little better through interrogative means:
Ques. 1: Why are the Arabs and Israelis wrangling with each other?
Ans. The dispute between the Arab States and Israel is quite complex, and has both territorial and religious colours attached to it. The Arab world has been backing and supporting the “Palestinian cause”, which essentially is detested by the Israeli state. The dispute between the two groups erupted after Jewish Paramilitary groups annexed the Palestinian territory (the territories and contours of the Jewish state of Israel and Palestinian state were decided by the United Nations in 1947, after the British rule ended), and captured a substantial part of the Palestinian territory and also the region of West Jerusalem. The two sides again went to war in 1967, in which Israel again came out as victorious, and now had occupied territories of The West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem (which were part of Jordan and Egypt before). After the 1967 war, a large population of Palestinians also came under the control of the Israeli state.
Base map: National Geographic mapmaker | Design: ThePrint.in
Subsequent to the Oslo Accords in 1990 however, the West Bank’s autonomy was divided between the Palestinians and Israel, majority of which remained with the Israeli state itself, even though the Palestinians claim complete sovereignty over the territories of West Bank and Gaza Strip. Moreover, the Israeli state currently has complete control over the city of Jerusalem, which is considered to be one of the holiest sites for Jews, Christians and Islamists, and is again claimed by the Palestinians as part of their territory. All these reasons and more have led to a recurring dispute between the Arabs and the Israelis.
Ques. 2: How were the relations between Israel and UAE before the “Abraham Accord” of 2020?
Ans. The two nations officially didn’t share any positive relations before the agreement as UAE like other Arab nations was a supporter of the Palestinian cause, thereby the UAE also didn’t officially ‘recognize’ the State of Israel. What is also noteworthy, is that the UAE didn’t allow its citizens to visit Israel, had barred its aircraft carriers from entering Israel’s airspace, didn’t allow Israeli citizens to enter into its territory and also didn’t share any direct flight with Jerusalem (disputed capital of Israel). The relations between the two countries furthered soured after Mahmoud al-Mabhouh was assassinated in Dubai, in 2010 and UAE had alleged Israel’s involvement in it.
However, in the times of the Pandemic, in June, 2020, UAE’s Etihad Airways executed a special chartered flight, wherein the aircraft was landed at the Ben Gurion Brigades airport, in Israel. The aircraft was carrying a special package of medical supplies, to assist the Palestinians in fighting the ill-consequences of the pandemic.
Ques. 3: How will the relations between the two states move forward in the future after the “Historic Peace Agreement”?
Ans. Under the deal, Israel has sworn to suspend its plans to annex large parts of the occupied West Bank. The countries have also agreed to cooperate and sign bilateral agreements on the subjects like “direct flight connectivity, healthcare, environment, energy, security, investments, tourism, technology, telecommunications, culture, the establishment of reciprocal embassies and other areas of mutual benefit.” The agreement further mentions that, “all Muslims who come in peace will be allowed to visit and pray at Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. All of the other holy sites in the city will also remain open for peaceful worshippers of all faiths.” The two states have further agreed to “accelerate cooperation regarding coronavirus treatment and the development of coronavirus vaccine”. The relations are expected to progress in the near future and cooperation will certainly expand to much more subjects, which is further projected to boost other Arab States like Bahrain and Sudan to also come to a similar understanding with the Israeli state. However, what actually motivated the two countries (Israel and UAE) to come to an agreement still remains a mystery.
Ques. 4: How did the world react to the agreement?
Ans. The agreement has captured both positive and negative reactions from world leaders, few of them are as follows:
Negative
Expectedly, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has condemned the accord between UAE, Israel and United States. Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a senior adviser to President Abbas, in his statement said that the deal was a "betrayal of Jerusalem, Al-Aqsa and the Palestinian cause."
Hanan Ashrawi, the Palestinian Liberation Organization's executive committee member mocked the peace deal and said that it was comparable to being "sold out" by "friends".
Positive
President of the United States, Donald Trump said, “The deal that was reached today will enable Muslims to have far greater ability to visit many historic sites in Israel and to peacefully pray at the Al-Aqsa Mosque.”
The United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson said, “It was my profound hope that annexation did not go ahead in the West Bank and today’s agreement to suspend those plans is a welcome step on the road to a more peaceful Middle East.”
Anurag Srivastava, spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs of India stated that, “India has consistently supported peace, stability and development in West Asia, which is its extended neighbourhood. In that context, we welcome the full normalization of ties between UAE and Israel”.
Ques. 5 How will the agreement affect the Republic of India?
Ans. The agreement has brought an unexpected (but, ample) opportunity for the Indian state to play a greater role in the Gulf region, considering its cordial relations with UAE, Israel, Saudi Arabia, United States etc. However, it is pertinent that expeditious decisions on the diplomatic and economic front are taken by the Indian state, as it would not want to lose this opportunity of economic and diplomatic expansion to some other state like China or Russia. Also, in the recent past Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have been facing diplomatic challenges, and relations have certainly turned bitter, which gives India an opportunity to lobby and interest a major ally of Pakistan to its side.
Conclusively, it can be said that the agreement is a first consolidated step towards bringing back peace in the region (which has been long lost!!), even when it doesn’t necessarily resolve the Palestinian-Israeli dispute. Hopefully, the two countries in the future will collaborate on more subjects than healthcare, tourism, technology etc. and will set an example for the other states in the region, as to how they can peacefully resolve their bilateral disputes. However, a peaceful solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will require all the stakeholders to approach the table with an open mind, with the dual motive of bringing “peace” and “development” to the region.
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