ISRAEL HAYOM (by agreement with JNS)
The Abraham Accords and a changing Middle East
by Fiamma Nirenstein
September 15, 2020

Whether we call it peace or normalization isn’t very important: The agreements being signed today between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, along with US President Donald Trump’s guarantee, mark a historical transition that not only reflects the great changes underway within Arab societies, but also upends old dynamics and can change the world. It’s very difficult to recognize the deal for what it is, because Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu don’t enjoy the support of the international press. Moreover, the Palestinians received what was for them a totally surprising refusal from the Arab League to their request to condemn it. READ MORE

TIMES OF ISRAEL Peace agreements suggest UAE, Bahrain are now less pro-Palestinian than Europe It’s official: The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain are now less pro-Palestinian than the Europeans. Officials and analysts familiar with Jerusalem’s clandestine relations with several Arab states have long argued that they don’t really care so much about the Palestinians anymore. In public statements, however, all Arab governments stuck to their dogma and reiterated the need for a Palestinian state based on the 1967-lines…Incredibly, the agreements the State of Israel signed Tuesday with the United Arab Emirates and with Bahrain do not echo such calls.

FORWARD I was set to vote for Biden. Then Trump made peace in the Middle East It was supposed to be a simple election. Deep into July, or “month four” on the new COVID-19 calendar, I thought the choice had become clear: This would be a referendum on President Trump’s atrocious handling of a devastating pandemic and a chance for Joe Biden to show that he can return the country to something resembling normal. As a college senior at Yeshiva University, I’m not a typical Democratic voter, but I stood with the 70% of my fellow millennials who wanted Trump out.