US signed Israel-Emirate-Bahrain relations agreements signed

The White House ceremony closes a dramatic month after the United Arab Emirates first and then Bahrain agreed to end their enmity with Israel, but without a solution to its old dispute with Palestinians.

President Trump appeared on a balcony he saw from a crowd of several hundred present, side by side with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister of Emirates Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan and Bahren Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al Zayani.

The agreements, criticised by Palestinians, make them third and fourth Arab states taking steps to normalise ties with Iral since the latter signed peace treaties with Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994. At the earlier meeting with Mr. Netanyahu in the Oval Office, President Trump said that “we will have at least five or six countries that will soon be abandoned” to link their agreements with Israel. But he did not mention any of them. During the speech on the White House balcony, Mr. Trump said that: “we are here this afternoon to change the course of history”, and added that this is the “a big step in which people of all religions and backgrounds can live together in peace and prosperity”. Mr. Trump also said the three Middle Eastern countries “will work together, they are friends”.

Bringing together at an Israeli table, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain reflect their common concern for Iran's increased influence in the region and its development of ballistic missiles. Iran has been critical of the agreements.

Speaking to Fox News several hours before the ceremony, Mr. Trump said he expected more Arab countries to normalise ties with Israel and predicted that Palestinians would eventually join, or otherwise, he said, “would be left out of”.

The White House's call objective was Saudi Arabia, the biggest Gulf power. So far, Saudis, whose king is the guardian of Islam's most sacred sites and the world's largest oil exporter, have signaled they are not ready. Another target is Oman, whose leader spoke to Mr. Trump last week. According to a senior American official, Oman was expected to send his ambassador to Tuesday's ceremony. Nothing was told if the Saudis would also attend, though their silent acceptance of the agreements is seen as essential.

President Trump and his allies hope this case will highlight Mr. Trump's skills as peacemakers at the height of his election campaign.

The so-called “Abraham's agreements” do not address the long Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but they can pave the way for a broader Arab-Israel approach after decades of hostility.

At the same time that Israel and the two Arab Gulf states signed normalisation agreements at the White House, Palestinian militants fired missiles from Gaza to Israel, wounding two people. So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the attack undertaken by the territory headed by Hamas' Islamists.

Palestinians, who seek an independent state in the West Consumption Coast and Gaza, view US-mediated agreements between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain as treason of their cause.

Skeptics, including many Middle Eastern observers -- among them analysts, experts and former officials -- have voiced doubts about the impact of the agreements. They say the agreements ignore Palestinians, who have rejected them, calling them a back knife from their Arab partner countries.

Former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democrat rival of President Trump, said he supports attitudes for more countries to normalise relations with Israel in response to a question recently asked by the Voice of America, but he added he believes that “Israel should be prepared to work towards a sincere solution, with two states” with Palestinians. /Vosa