About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline

LOG IN
LOG IN


1 1 (August 19, 2020)

handle is hein.crs/govdbki0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Researh Sevice Israel-UAE Normalization and Suspension of West Bank Annexation August 19, 2020 President Trump issued a joint statement on August 13, 2020, with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and United Arab Emirates (UAE) Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayid, announcing that Israel and the UAE have agreed to fully normalize their relations, and that Israel is suspending plans to annex parts of the West Bank. In the coming weeks, Israeli and UAE officials are expected to begin talks aimed at reaching bilateral agreement on Coronavirus Disease 2019 research, direct airline flights, establishing reciprocal embassies, and other matters. These agreements could significantly boost both countries' trade and investment in high-tech and other sectors, and have implications for the region and U.S. policy. Background Israel-UAE normalization, if implemented, would officially acknowledge contacts that have existed for years. Egypt and Jordan had been the only Arab states with formal diplomatic relations with Israel. Israel established informal ties with a number of Arab states, including the UAE, in the 1990s. Discreet Israel- UAE links on intelligence, security, and trade have become closer and more public in the past decade as Israel has worked with various Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states aligned with the United States, including Saudi Arabia, in efforts to counter Iran's regional influence and military capabilities. A June 2020 article addressed to the Israeli people from the UAE's ambassador to the United States reportedly sparked the talks leading to the U.S.-Israel-UAE joint statement. The article implied that closer ties between Israel and Arab states would be possible if Israel refrained from annexing West Bank areas. Other Arab states-notably Bahrain., Oman, and Sudan-may follow the UAE's lead. Saudi Arabia's leadership role in the Arab and Muslim world and complicated domestic politics may lead it to approach normalization more cautiously. Israeli-Palestinian Issues Some view the Israel-UAE deal as vindicating Prime Minister Netanyahu's long-standing claim that he could normalize Israel's relations with Arab countries before reaching a peace agreement with the Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov IN11485 CRS NStGHT Prepaimed for Mernbei-s and Comrm ttees of Coqgr ss ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------