The New Normalisation

With bilateral agreements between Israel and both the uae and Bahrain freshly inked, regional travel and trade will benefit exponentially

- Gemma Greenwood

When news that Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had reached a deal to normalise relations hit the global headlines on August 13, it took most people by complete surprise.

Considering the immensely complex history between the two nations and given that up until that point, Israel had no diplomatic relations with any Gulf Arab countries whatsoever, few had anticipated this course of action.

US President Donald Trump who brokered and announced the deal between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and His Highness Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, described it as “a truly historic moment”. After all, it represents only the third Israel-Arab peace deal forged since Israel’s Declaration of Independence in 1948, after Egypt and Jordan.

“Now that the ice has been broken I expect more Arab and Muslim countries will follow the United Arab Emirates,” Trump told the media.

He wasn’t wrong, Bahrain was quick to follow suit by normalising relations with Israel too.

Both deals (the Abraham Accords) were signed at the White House on September 15, with leaders from all three countries taking a historic step, not only towards economic cooperation, but what many hope will be peace in the Middle East.

Israel’s Minister of Regional Co-operation, Ofir Akunis, told the Financial Times the accords would pave the way for bilateral trade and investments reaching “billions of dollars for each side”.

He even quoted US$500 million as an initial figure for the value of deals set to be clinched, citing Israel’s expertise in water desalination and agricultural technology as two of the most promising sectors for co-operation.