Diplomatic relations began between Israel and the United Arab Emirates in a groundbreaking deal. Israel had been planning to annex parts of West banks. As of now, the plans have been stalled due to the deal which Israel signed with United Arab Emirates. The landmark deal initiating diplomatic ties between the two countries has been brokered by the US administration. This Israel-UAE accord has been called as the Abraham accords by officials working in the Israel, UAE and US administration.

This deal makes the United Arab Emirates the third of the twenty-two Arab countries and the first Gulf Arab state to have active diplomatic relations with Israel.  Prior to this, Israel had signed Peace treaty with Egypt in 1979 (which started their diplomatic ties) as a result of the Camp David Accord of 1978 settling the Yom Kippur War. In 1994, Israel had started diplomatic relations with Jordan after signing the Israeli-Jordan Peace treaty. Israeli-UAE Abraham accord would be followed by deals between the two countries in the areas of security, flights, energy, telecommunication, healthcare and tourism.

After signing the treaty with UAE, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated in a televised statement, that this brings in hope that there would be a new era of peace between the Israel and the Arab world. He also added that Israel hopes that more Arab nations would come into this circle of diplomatic friendship with Israel. Netanyahu further added that the plans to capture parts of West bank has been put on a temporary hold, meaning that the military action at the West Bank cannot be totally neglected on a long-term basis. That this has been brokered by the United States becomes crucial for the administration led by Mr. Trump before the November elections, since the troops withdrawal from Afghanistan is still not considered as complete by some foreign policy observers. Influence of the USA in the fractious middle east politics is well known since the end of the second World War, times of Truman doctrine and specifically during the Nixon Kissinger era.

This deal could be presented by the UAE as its transformation into a more tolerant state with respect to the Jewish state. But it puts the Palestinians into a catch 22 situation. On one hand, this deal muzzles the Israeli territorial ambition in West bank for the moment, on the other hand it normalizes the relation between the hostile Israel and UAE which can delay the process of Palestine’s establishment as an independent state. Gaza strip is controlled by the Sunni militant group Hamas. This group has stated that the deal by the Emiratis has been a stab in the back for them.

Joe Biden, former US vice president and currently presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, has hailed the deal as a welcome move. He stressed that if he comes to office as the POTUS, then he would make sure that Israeli annexation of West Bank does not happen as that would deal a body blow to the peace process in the volatile region. Joe Biden strongly believes in the two-state solution in the issue between Israel and Palestine which has different meanings for the Israelis and the Arabs. For Israel, the issue of their sovereignty over Samaria and Judea in the West Bank region is still a bone of contention with Palestinians. The elusive peace between Israel and Palestine will be a long-drawn process and a complicated one requiring intervention from world powers like the USA.