Why in news?
The Abraham Accords was signed by the UAE, Bahrain and Israel, under U.S. President Donald Trump’s mediation.
What is the significance of the agreement?
- This accord clearly marks a new beginning in the relations between the Sunni-ruled Gulf kingdoms and the Jewish state.
- It is the first between Israel and Arab countries since the 1994 Jordan-Israel peace treaty.
- Under the agreement, the UAE and Bahrain would normalise ties with Israel.
- This will herald better economic, political and security engagement.
Why did US mediate?
- The accords offer a rare diplomatic win to Mr. Trump, whose other foreign policy bets were either disastrous or stagnant.
- He has called the agreements “the new dawn of a new Middle East”.
Who may or may not join?
- More Arab countries are expected to follow suit.
- The agreements have the backing of Saudi Arabia, the most influential Arab power and a close ally of the UAE and Bahrain.
- The ruler of the Kingdom is treading cautiously for now.
- But Riyadh has opened its airspace for commercial flights between the UAE and Israel.
Will the accord impact West Asia’s conflicts?
- The Abraham Accords have historical and geopolitical significance.
- But, it is too early to say whether the accords will have any significant impact on West Asia’s conflicts.
- Egypt and Jordan have signed peace treaties with Israel in 1979 and 1994, respectively.
- But, the Gulf countries are not frontline states in the Arab-Israeli conflict.
- They had established backroom contacts with Israel years ago; what is happening now is their normalisation.
Was the Palestinian question addressed?
- The agreements leave the Palestinian question largely unaddressed.
- Arab countries are signing diplomatic agreements with Israel bilaterally.
- Due to this, the Arab collective support for the Palestinian movement for nationhood is crumbling.
- But it does not mean that the Palestinian question would fade away.
- The vacuum left by the retreat of the Arab powers from the Israel-Palestine conflict is being filled by the non-Arab Muslim powers.
- These non-Arab Muslim powers include Iran, Turkey and their allies.
- The geopolitical sands may be shifting but the core issue concerning Israel is unresolved.
What is the region’s emerging order?
- The UAE-Bahrain agreements are endorsing the region’s emerging order.
- With the U.S. in retreat and Turkey and Iran pursuing more aggressive foreign policies, there is a three-way contest taking shape.
- Sunni-ruled Arab kingdoms, all American allies, are realigning their geopolitical interests with Israel.
- The Abraham Accords are likely to sharpen this contest.
What could be done?
- Mr. Trump and the signatories to the accords have claimed that they want to bring peace here.
- If so, they should address the more structural issues, which include the unresolved question of Palestine.
Source: The Hindu
