Saudi Arabia is gradually changing its attitude toward Israel, laying the groundwork for a process that could culminate in full bilateral relations. Saudi Arabia’s economic, religious, and political importance gives Israel an interest in achieving a normalization agreement with the kingdom, as long this would not result in the erosion of Israel’s qualitative military edge (QME). Riyadh, however, has various internal and external constraints, as well as a set of particular sensitivities. For Saudi Arabia, the question of...
The start of negotiations between Israel and Lebanon on marking the maritime border is a milestone in the history of the relations between the two countries. It invites the question whether agreement on this issue might bring about a strategic change in relations between Israel and Lebanon, following the Abraham Accords and given the dire situation in Lebanon, which desperately needs external aid from the United States and other Western countries. An analysis of the internal balance of power in Lebanon, however, suggests that the...
Recent reports have linked Israel to the conflict between the Arab Quartet (Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt) and Qatar. These reports speculate that in return for United States pressure on the Quartet to end the boycott on Qatar, Doha will agree to join the Abraham Accords framework and normalize its relations with Israel. Reaching an agreement of this kind is not an easy task because of the tension and even hostility between the Saudi and UAE regimes and Qatar. Another hurdle is the need to persuade Doha...
China responded coolly to the normalization agreements between Israel and the Gulf states, due to its concerns that these accords, sponsored by the United States, derived inter alia from the United States’ intention to damage China’s relations with friendly countries in the Middle East and create alliances against China. Against a background of Chinese-American tensions, there are a number of signs of cool winds blowing from China toward Israel, such as the delay in appointing a new ambassador to Israel, and the lack of contact...
The peace agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and the declaration of peace between Israel and Bahrain (the Abraham Accords) represent the first step in a regional peace process since the peace treaty with Jordan, and an opening for other Arab countries to join the trend of normalization with Israel. The agreements are founded on national security considerations and sharp awareness of the shared Iranian threat and the countries’ common ally, the United States. At the same time, these agreements also embody economic...
The Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) held a Cabinet meeting to analyze the peace and normalization agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. Researchers focused on the background to the agreement and its implications for Israel and the Middle East. Participants addressed several questions, among them: What is included in the agreement, and what was omitted? Which objectives of the Trump administration propelled the Accords? Why was the UAE in such a hurry to sign the agreement at this time? What...
The announcement by President Donald Trump regarding normalization of relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates has heightened the Palestinians’ distress and forced them to consider their future. A conference in Ramallah and Beirut on September 3, 2020, with the participation of all the Palestinian factions, reflected their sense of the seriousness of the current challenge. In the closing statement, all agreed on the need to fight the American-Israeli plot by means of “popular resistance,” although at the conference...
The decision by the United Arab Emirates to sign an agreement toward normalization with Israel was hailed by Egypt, Oman, Bahrain, and Mauritania. It was severely criticized, however, by Islamist forces and the Palestinian Authority, which accused the UAE of deviating from the Arab and Islamic line. While most of the discourse in Israel is centered on the political, security, and economic interests affected by the groundbreaking agreement, less attention has been paid to the normative-religious challenge involved in legitimizing it....
The hospitalization in July of the world’s oldest leaders, King Salman bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia, 84 years old, and Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, the 91-year-old Emir of Kuwait, has rekindled fears regarding the stability of the six Arab monarchies in the Gulf. These monarchies are ruled by extended families that control most of the centers of power in their countries. As long as these families succeeded in cultivating consensus among their different branches, this centralized power has, over the years,...
On Thursday, August 13, 2020, the United States, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) issued a joint official announcement that Israel and UAE would embark on a political process that will culminate in the full normalization of relations. The announcement stated that delegations from Israel and the UAE will meet to reach agreement in various areas in order to build substantive relations. There are various possible motives behind the dramatic step of the UAE, given the changes in its strategic environment.
The normalization agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, announced with much fanfare on August 13, 2020, comes at a time when the Palestinian camp is at one of its weakest strategic points since its establishment. Senior Palestinian Authority (PA) officials responded with a mixture of outrage and frustration, and the PA has clearly lost an important asset – its veto power over normalization between Israel and the Arab world. However, precisely in these circumstances, Israel would do well to adopt a broad, supportive...
On August 13, 2020, a significant breakthrough between Israel and the United Arab Emirates was announced on the road to the establishment of full relations. The agreement, under the auspices of the United States, is an important reinforcement for the moderate pragmatic camp in the region against Iran and both Shiite and Sunni radicals. Vis-à-vis the Palestinians, the agreement removes the issue of unilateral annexation from the agenda, and improves opening conditions for negotiations and a future arrangement.
