Israel-United Arab Emirates deal: Pompeo fails to rally other Arab countries

Mike Pompeo, U.S. Foreign Minister, visits Jerusalem on August 24, 2020. Debbie Hill / Reuters

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Mike Pompeo, the head of US diplomacy, is in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday August 26, for the last stop of his tour of the Middle East. The UAE recently reached an agreement with Israel to normalize their relations. A historic agreement tied by the United States. Mike Pompeo hoped during his tour to rally other Arab countries, but his hopes were dashed.

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In Bahrain, King Hamad ben Issa Al-Khalifa received Mike Pompeo on Wednesday August 26 and underlined the importance "  of ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the basis of a two-state solution  ". Renewing its commitment to the creation of a Palestinian state is one way for the Kingdom of Bahrain to implicitly reject Washington's call to quickly normalize its relations with Israel.

►Also read: Arab countries divided over the agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates

Pompeo's optimism undermined

Tuesday, August 25, Sudan opposed an end of inadmissibility to the head of American diplomacy. The government has claimed that it has no "  mandate  " to establish normal relations with the Israelis or not until the end of the country's transition period in 2022.

Mike Pompeo, who said he was "  optimistic  " on Monday about the possibility of seeing other Arab countries follow the example of the United Arab Emirates, therefore saw his hopes dashed. On August 19, Saudi Arabia also indicated that there would be no normalization of relations without peace with the Palestinians.

His tour of the Middle East ends with a stopover in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday August 26. The United Arab Emirates announced on August 13 the normalization of its relations with Israel . Mike Pompeo's tour was organized in the middle of a Republican convention in the United States. It was supposed to showcase Donald Trump's diplomatic successes. The result is mixed.

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  • United Arab Emirates
  • Israel
  • United States
  • Diplomacy

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