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President Donald Trump on Tuesday presided over the signing of historic agreements between Israel and two Arab nations, in a White House ceremony that could boost his peacemaking credentials and standing with evangelicals.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed agreements with United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan and Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al Zayani, as Trump looked on. The agreements are known as the Abraham Accords.
The deals formalize Israel’s relations with the two countries, in a major shift for the strife-torn region. Meeting in the Oval Office with Netanyahu ahead of the signings, Trump said he was making progress with other nations’ agreements with Israel.
“We’re very far down the road with five additional countries,” Trump said, declining to name them. “I really believe Iran wants to make a deal,” he also said.
“There’s going to be peace in the Middle East,” Trump said.
As The Wall Street Journal reported, most Arab states had previously held off on making peace with Israel as long as its conflict with the Palestinians remained unresolved.
The Palestinians have condemned both agreements, as has Iran. Bahrain, Israel and the UAE all share concerns about Iranian influence in the region and Tehran’s development of missiles.
In an interview on “Fox & Friends” Trump predicted the Palestinians “will ultimately come in, too.”
The ceremony came as polls of swing-state voters point to a tough re-election campaign for Trump. The inking of the deals could give Trump a boost with pro-Israel Christian evangelical voters, as well as with Jewish voters.
