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B A LT I M O R E J E W I S H H O M E . C O M
THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME
AUGUST 27, 2020
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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home
A New Era in the Middle East? The UAE and Israel Normalize Relations BY TZVI LEV
L
ast Thursday, the world was astounded by the shocking news that Israel and the United Arab Emirates would sign an official peace agreement. As part of what The New York Times calls “a geopolitical earthquake,” Israel and the Gulf state will establish full diplomatic relations, including exchanging ambassadors and constructing embassies. The diplomatic breakthrough is significant because of how it changes existing paradigms. If, in the past, progress vis-a-vis the Arab world depended on agreeing to a Palestinian state, the UAE merely demanded that Israel “suspend” its plans to annex Judea and Samaria. In what Prime Minister Netanyahu has labeled “Peace for Peace” rather than the longtime
“Land for Peace” doctrine, other nations such as Sudan, Bahrain, Oman, and Morocco are said to be readying to announce their own relations with the Jewish State. This has the opportunity to completely revamp Israel’s strategic position in the Middle East. Since its founding in 1948, the Arab world has refused to recognize its existence. Israel is widely reviled across the Islamic world, with 26 Muslim nations refusing to recognize the country’s right to exist. In the Middle East, only Egypt and Jordan have formal peace treaties with the Jewish State, although the ties between Jerusalem and its aforementioned former adversaries are commonly seen as a “cold peace” at best.” Yet now, Israelis have awakened to a new world where they are direct
