Arab countries recognize Israel
Morocco, Israel normalize relations in US-brokered deal
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: Morocco and Israel agreed on Thursday to normalize relations in a U.S.-brokered deal. As part of the agreement, US President Donald Trump agreed to recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara, where Polisario Front, seeks to establish an independent state. Morocco is the fourth Arab country since August to normalize relations with Israel. The others were the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan. Read More
Why UAE recognized Israel?
Zafar Malik: Much remains to be seen what the UAE has gained out of this handshake. On the face of it their benefit lies in the fact that the UAE (and indeed Saudi Arabia) have strengthened their stance against any aggressive designs by Iran. The one group that is clearly seen on the losing side as a result of this deal are the Palestinians who are now left largely to their own resources. Their closest supporters in the region seem to be Turkey and Iran, both of whom have voiced their disapproval of this deal. A greater test of this deal may not be too far. The decline of the importance of oil and the growing interest in another more environmentally friendly source of energy would tilt the balance. Read More
Bahrain, Sudan, UAE deals with Israel: Arabs are abandoning Palestinians
By Nurul Amin Malik: Last month three Arab states - Bahrain, Sudan and United Arab Emirates – recognized Israel. Saudi Arabia is likely to follow next despite some feeble opposition from a certain quarter. It seems inconceivable that the Saudi government will let down their friends in Washington. Right now it lies in the interest of the Arabs to be in the good books of the US. So what if the Palestinians are driven away from their homes or even ruthlessly exterminated? This is nothing new. Read More
Sudanese political parties reject normalization of relations with Israel
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: Sudanese political parties have rejected the government’s decision to normalize relations with Israel, with officials saying they will form an opposition front against the agreement, Al Jazeera reported Saturday. Dozens of Sudanese people demonstrated in the capital Khartoum on Friday following the joint statement from Israel, Sudan and the United States on Friday saying that the two countries agreed to “end the state of belligerence between their nations”. Read More
Sudan becomes 3rd Arab country to normalize relations with Israel
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: Israel and Sudan agreed on Friday to normalize relations in a deal brokered with the help of the United States, making Sudan the third Arab country to set aside hostilities with Israel in the past two months, Anadolu News Agency reported. U.S. President Donald Trump's aides have been pressing Sudan to take steps toward normalizing relations with Israel, following similar U.S.-brokered moves in recent weeks by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain. Read More
Sudan denies holding talks on normalization ties with Israel
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: The Sudanese Minister of Information and transitional government spokesman, Faisal Muhammad Saleh, Tuesday denied media reports saying that a Sudanese delegation currently visiting the United Arab Emirates had discussed normalizing relations with Israel. Read More
Saudi Royal Family divided over relations with Israel: WSJ
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: Saudi Arabia’s monarch, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, has been at odds with his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, over establishing relations with Israel, the Wall Street Journal has reported. The king is a longtime supporter of the Arab boycott of Israel and the Palestinians’ demand for an independent state. The prince wants to move past what he sees as an intractable conflict to join with Israel in business and align against Iran, according to WSJ. Read More
As Bahrain, UAE sign peace deals with Israel: Trump says 5-6 more countries ready to follow soon
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: President Donald Trump on Tuesday said five or six more countries are ready to make peace with Israel, Times of Israel reported. However, he did not name those countries. Shortly before the signing of the Abraham Accords between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, Trump said, “We’re very far down the road with about five additional countries… Frankly, I think we could have had them here today.” Read More
Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia reject Kushner’s bid to establish ties with Israel
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: Leaders of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain reportedly rejected special White House advisor Jared Kushner’s push for normalization with Israel, as the US tries to seize on the momentum of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) move, the Times of Israel reported Wednesday. Kushner visited Bahrain on Tuesday, a week after a visit by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to the Gulf state. Read More
US pressuring Saudi Arabia to join Israel-UAE meeting in Abu Dhabi
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: An Israeli media report says that the Americans are mounting pressure on Saudi Arabia to join a trilateral summit of Israel, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the US, which is due to be held in Abu Dhabi on Monday.The two-day visit will include working meetings of the joint teams ahead of the signing of cooperation deals following the U.S.-brokered agreement to normalize ties between Israel and UAE, which was announced on Aug. 13. Kushner is also trying to persuade Saudi Arabia to join the signing ceremony of the normalization agreement in October. Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth said on Sunday: “Ahead of the planned event in Washington, Kushner and his aides have recently been working with [Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed] bin Salman to approve the dispatching of high-ranking Saudi envoys to Abu Dhabi as early as tomorrow, in parallel with the arrival of the Israeli delegation.” Read More
Pompeo fails to convince Oman to establish relations with Israel
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Thursday concluded a Middle East tour after talks in Oman with Sultan Haitham bin Tarik Al-Said which apparently failed to convince Sultan to follow the UAE's move and normalize relations with Israel. The official Oman News Agency said that "aspects of the existing bilateral cooperation between the sultanate and the United States were reviewed within the framework of the strong relations that bind them," but made no reference to relations with Israel. Read More
After Sudan, Bahrain also rejects US push to normalize relations with Israel
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: Bahrain has declined a US push to normalize relations with Israel, Al Jazeera reported Wednesday. Bahrain told the visiting US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that it was committed to the creation of a Palestinian state, implicitly rejecting his push for Arab countries to swiftly normalize ties with Israel. Pompeo was in Manama on Wednesday as part of a Middle East tour aimed at forging more links between Israel and the Arab world on the back of a US-brokered deal with the United Arab Emirates earlier this month. Read More
Sudan rejects US request to normalize ties with Israel
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: Sudan’s transitional government Tuesday rejected the US request to normalize its ties with Israel. The decision comes as the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo paid a rare visit to Sudan Tuesday, meeting Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok and the head of the Sovereign Council, Abdul Fatah Alburahn. Information Minister Faisal Mohamed Salih explained in a press release sent to Anadolu Agency that the transitional government in Sudan has no mandate to decide on relations with Israel. Read More
'Turkey is the actual target of the Israel-UAE deal'
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: An asymmetric alliance of countries that share the common goal of limiting Turkey's influence in the region has been brewing for some time and the heralding of existing clandestine ties between these two countries (UAE and Israel) only goes to show that the alliance is now solidified, leading Turkish Daily Sabah said in an opinion piece on Saturday. Read More
Why Saudi Arabia declines relations with Israel?
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: To stem growing perception in the Arab and Muslim Worlds, after UAE recognized Israel, that the Arab states are abandoning the Palestine cause, Saudi Arabia announced Wednesday that the kingdom would not establish diplomatic ties with Israel until internationally recognized peace was achieved with the Palestinians. Read More
US Council of Muslim Organizations criticizes President Trump’s UAE-Israel announcement
AMP Report: The seven-million strong American Muslim Community overwhelmingly supports Palestinian rights and oppose Israel’s repressive policies in the occupied territories. The U.S. Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO) on August 14 issued a statement that reiterated the American Muslim community’s support for the freedom of the Palestine, as well as its commitment to advocate for an end to American support of the Israeli government’s ongoing blockade, occupation, and de facto annexation of Palestinian territory. The statement issued by USCMO, which is the nation’s largest umbrella group for American Muslim organizations, also condemned the latest attempt by President Trump, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates to undermine international Muslim solidarity in the struggle for peace and freedom in the region. Read More
The Muslim World sees UAE-Israel diplomatic relations as betraying Palestinians
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: The Muslim world was dismayed and saw the UAE-Israeli diplomatic relations as betraying the Palestine cause. While Saudi Arabia, at present considered as leader of the Muslim World, remained silent and there was no reaction from the 22-member Arab League, there was sharp reaction from the major Muslim countries. There was bitter criticism from Turkey, Iran and Malaysia. Read More
How the Israel-UAE deal puts the bogus peace industry back in business
By Jonathan Cook: If there is one conclusion to draw from the agreement this week between Israel and the United Arab Emirates – with Israel temporarily “suspending” its threat to illegally annex parts of the West Bank, in return for “full normalisation” with the Gulf state – it is this: The peace industry is back in business. But this time, unlike the interminable Oslo Accords signed a quarter of a century ago, there won’t even be the pretence that Palestinians are needed for “Middle East peace” to proceed. This is a process that takes place over their heads, a dialogue from which they are entirely absent. Read More
Palestinians only pawns in UAE-Israel deal, shared enmity towards Iran is the REAL move
By Finian Cunningham: The “historic” agreement for normalization of ties between the United Arab Emirates and Israel is being presented as a noble effort by the Gulf Arab states to fend off further annexation of Palestinian land. That facade was quickly eroded when Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu said his annexation plans were only “on hold” and not derailed, as the UAE had claimed in announcing the purported accord mediated this week by the Trump administration. The terse Palestinian reaction to the supposed deal got it right. It was “a stab in the back.” Iran and Turkey also denounced it as a sell-out of Palestinian rights by the UAE. Read More
The UAE-Israel agreement is for naught
by Imad K Harb: After years of taking steps towards informal normalization, but falling short of breaking from the long-standing Arab position and officially signing a peace deal with Israel, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) relations with the country on Thursday. The move was long in the making. In the last few years, the Emiratis have hosted Israeli ministers and athletes, participated in maritime security conferences alongside Israeli officials, supported technological cooperation agreements between Emirati and Israeli companies, and even invited Israel to the Dubai Expo. Read More
The UAE makes peace with Israel’s war on the Palestinians
by Marwan Bishara: After years of informal normalisation, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has finally reached a formal “peace agreement” with Israel that paves the way for a strategic relationship between the two countries under the auspices of the Trump Administration. The agreement rewards US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for their protracted assault on the Palestinians over the past four years. Once signed, and implemented, it is likely to embolden Netanyahu’s coalition, deepen Israel’s occupation and strengthen Israel’s alliance with Arab autocrats. Read More
Massive Qatari media campaign targets Arab opinion following UAE recognizes Israel
By Ismaeel Naar: Qatar has begun a massive campaign in order to influence Arab public opinion via media channels it funds following the landmark UAE-Israel agreement signed on Thursday to normalize relations. Read More
Palestinians denounce the UAE-Israel relations
AMP Report: The Palestinian leadership of all factions bitterly denounced the recognition of Israel by the United Arab Emirates. In a statement issued by his spokesman, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas denounced the accord. "The Palestinian leadership rejects and denounces the UAE, Israeli and US trilateral, surprising, announcement," said Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a senior adviser to Abbas. Read More
Arab reaction to the UAE’s recognition of Israel
AMP Report: The 22-member Arab League and Saudi Arabia remained silent on the recognition of Israel by the United Arab Emirates. However, Bahrain, Oman, Jordan and Egypt welcomed the decision while Libya rejected it. Read More
Saudi Arabia is normalizing relations with Israel?
By Abdus-Sattar Ghazali: A drama series telecast on the Saudi-controlled MBC during the holy month of Ramadan is being seen as a clear signal from Saudi Arabia about its growing ties with Israel, the Brussels Times said Tuesday. The TV series, 'Umm Haroun' (mother of Aaron), begins with a long monologue in Hebrew, in which a Jewish character says "we are the Gulf Jews who were born in the Gulf lands." Although Saudi-Israeli, behind-the-scene parleys, have been an open secret for long, since Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, popularly known as MbS, took over as the de facto ruler the warming of ties between two bitter enemies of Iran has become quite obvious, according to the paper. Read More
The Journal of America Team:
Editor in chief:
Abdus Sattar Ghazali
Senior Editor:
Prof. Arthur Scott
Special Correspondent
Maryam Turab
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