Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Donald Trump, Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif al-Zayani, and UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan at the White House, September 15, 2020. -

SAUL LOEB / AFP

This is the advent of a "new Middle East", believes Donald Trump.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed historic agreements with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain on Tuesday at the White House that upset the balance in the Middle East.

"After decades of division and conflict, we are witnessing the dawn of a new Middle East," said the President of the United States during a ceremony with great pomp in the gardens of the White House.

"End the Arab-Israeli conflict once and for all"

He said that "five or six more Arab countries" would "very soon" follow the example of the two Gulf states, without specifying which ones.

Benjamin Netanyahu, referring to a "turning point in history", estimated that the agreement sealed in Washington could "end the Israeli-Arab conflict once and for all".

Faced with assistance provided despite the pandemic, the head of the Israeli government was not stingy in compliments to his "friend" Donald Trump, before launching, in Arabic, to his new interlocutors: "Assalamu Alaikum", " May peace be with you ".

On the other hand, he remained silent on the fate of the Palestinians, who were largely absent from Tuesday, even if the ministers of the Emirates and Bahrain recalled their cause.

Welcoming "a change in the heart of the Middle East", UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan personally thanked Benjamin Netanyahu "for choosing peace and for stopping the annexation of Palestinian territories" - even if the latter ensures that it is only a postponement.

Bahrain's foreign minister Abdel Latif al-Zayani clearly called for a “two-state solution” to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Benjamin Netanyahu finally signed bilateral agreements with the two ministers, before a joint declaration initialed by the three men and the American president.

But, in the era of Covid-19, no handshake has immortalized this moment.

A "strategic breakthrough"

These two Arab countries are the first to recognize Israel since the peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan in 1979 and 1994. The Emirates and Bahrain, Sunni monarchies, share with the Jewish state an animosity towards Shia Iran , Washington's number one enemy in the region.

Many Arab oil states have quietly cultivated ties with the Israeli authorities for years, but this normalization offers rich opportunities, especially economic ones, to those countries which are trying to repair the ravages of the pandemic. The "vision for peace" presented in January by Donald Trump, who aimed to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, is far from successful: the Palestinian Authority has rejected it outright and has denied the American president the very role of mediator since he has chained decisions favorable to Israel.

The Palestinians, who denounce a "stab in the back" from these countries accused of making a pact with the Jewish state without waiting for the birth of their state, called for demonstrations on Tuesday, a "dark day" in the country. history of the Arab world.

A few dozen Palestinian activists gathered outside the White House during the ceremony.

But the Trump administration has always said it wants to shake up the region by bringing Israel closer to its Arab neighbors in a kind of sacred union against Iran.

These agreements outline this change of era and seem to relegate the Palestinian question to the background, as the White House hoped.

These agreements are a victory for Benjamin Netanyahu and bring Israel closer to its goal of being accepted in the region.

The "peacemaker" Donald Trump

For Donald Trump, who is running for a second term and so far had little diplomatic progress to present to voters, it is a recognized success even among his Democratic opponents.

Since the announcement on August 13 of the Israeli-Emirati agreement, followed last week by that concerning Bahrain, the camp of the Republican billionaire does not skimp on superlatives to praise his action, worthy of the Nobel Prize winner to believe. the peace.

However, differences have already emerged on the conditions surrounding the agreement with the Emirates.

The American president declared in particular at three hours of the signing ceremony that he would have “no problem” to sell American fighter planes F-35 in the United Arab Emirates, which Abu Dhabi wants to acquire for a long time.

However, Benjamin Netanyahu firmly opposes this sale, to preserve the military superiority of his country in the region.

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