Israel, Bahrain, UAE sign historic diplomatic agreements at White House

(Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

published 15 September 2020

President Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani on Tuesday signed the Abraham Accords, normalizing diplomatic relations between Israel and the two Arab countries for the first time.

The actual text of the agreements haven't been revealed yet — the White House said the contents would be released later Tuesday — but the deals are considered historic, and Trump earlier said he expects more Arab nations to strike similar pacts going forward. That doesn't mean they're universally accepted, however. Palestinians have rejected them, accusing Bahrain and the UAE of betrayal, while many experts doubt there will be any tangible move toward peace in the region, The Associated Press reports. On that note, as the sides signed the documents in Washington, a rocket fired from Gaza hit Ashdod, Israel, causing minor injuries, while another was intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome. Tim O'Donnell

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.

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