Hosted by his close ally Donald Trump, Netanyahu will on Tuesday sign agreements with Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates that, while falling short of full peace deals, allow the countries to establish open business, direct flights and diplomatic relations.
“We now have two historic peace agreements, with two Arab countries, which were established in one month,” Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting on Sunday before departing for the United States. “We are at the threshold of a new era.”
However, the recent agreements have also been dismissed as spectacle. Neither Gulf monarchy has ever been at war with Israel, and both had already established extensive informal ties.
Writing in Haaretz, an Israeli newspaper that is deeply critical of Netanyahu, the journalist Chemi Shalev said that the country and its two Gulf partners are “simply coming out of the closet with the clandestine strategic ties they’ve maintained for years”.
Source The Guardian
Article submitted by Great Gazoo
