Israel, UAE, and Bahrain Peace Agreement... Middle East Powers Face Urgent Crisis

Middle East 3 Countries Sign Abraham Accords at White House
Saudi Arabia Pressured to Normalize Relations with Israel
Iran Faces Sunni + Israel Joint Attack Threat

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] With the final signing of the peace agreement between Israel and Gulf Arab countries such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain, attention is focused on changes in the Middle East situation.

The United States is increasingly likely to utilize Israel in its Middle East policy, and Iran is expected to intensify its opposition. In particular, the concerns of Saudi Arabia, the dominant power in the Middle East and a U.S. ally, are expected to deepen further.

On the 15th (local time), the signing ceremony for the 'Abraham Accords,' an agreement to normalize relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain, took place at the White House in Washington, DC, USA. Attending the signing ceremony were Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani (first from the left), Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (second from the left), UAE's Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan (first from the right), and U.S. President Donald Trump (second from the right), who mediated the agreement.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 15th (local time) at the White House South Lawn, U.S. President Donald Trump presided over the signing of the 'Abraham Accords' with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani. President Trump signed the agreement as a witness.

With this agreement, Israel, the UAE, and Bahrain agreed to strengthen their cooperative relations through additional negotiations on investment, trade, and more, in addition to normalizing diplomatic relations. For Israel, which had been a common enemy of the Arab countries, this agreement reduces diplomatic isolation as well as security threats. The UAE and Bahrain, exposed to direct threats from Iran, will be able to receive security support benefits such as the purchase of advanced U.S. weapon systems like the F-35.

Named after Abraham, the common ancestor of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, this agreement is evaluated as the beginning of a shift in the balance of power not only among the three countries but throughout the Middle East.

Immediate attention is focused on the actions of Saudi Arabia, the Arab powerhouse. Although Saudi Arabia recently allowed Israeli civilian aircraft to pass through its airspace, it did not participate in this agreement. It is expected to face direct pressure from the U.S. to improve relations with Israel. After the signing, President Trump moved to a campaign rally and said, "I expect 7 to 9 countries to normalize relations," adding, "Saudi Arabia will be one of them."

So far, Saudi Arabia has maintained an unofficial cooperative relationship with Israel by sharing intelligence on Iran, but officially maintained a hostile stance. This was because the Palestinian issue, which was a decisive factor in the antagonism between Israel and Arab countries, had not been resolved. This sentiment was also confirmed at the signing ceremony. While the Israeli Prime Minister attended the ceremony, the UAE and Bahrain were represented by their foreign ministers instead of heads of state. Anwar Sadat, the Egyptian president who normalized diplomatic relations with Israel in the past, was assassinated by Islamic fundamentalists.

However, since Saudi Arabia has repeatedly shown indirect support for the Abraham Accords, it is expected to eventually join the ranks of countries normalizing diplomatic relations. It is reported that Bahrain’s participation in normalizing relations with Israel was made with prior consent from Saudi Arabia, its close ally.

Iran is also facing deep concerns. Iran perceives the Abraham Accords as an attempt by the U.S. to reorganize the Middle East landscape from an anti-Israel alliance to an anti-Iran alliance. With the UAE and Bahrain, which share a direct maritime border with Iran, promising to introduce advanced weapons and normalizing relations with Israel, Iran’s security anxiety has increased. Representing the Shiite minority sect of Islam, Iran faces the worst security threat situation as Saudi Arabia, the representative country of the Sunni majority sect, joins hands with Israel to contain it. President Trump applied pressure with both hard and soft approaches, mentioning negotiations with Iran. He suggested the possibility of new nuclear talks by saying, "I believe Iran wants to come to an agreement."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.