Following the Trump administration’s announcement of a historic peace deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, presidential nominee Joe Biden attempted to take the credit for himself and former president Obama for initiating the deal.
The Agreement
The treaty is designed to normalize relations between the two countries and strengthen diplomatic relations. The peace negotiations were finalized on Thursday in a phone call between President Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed, crown prince of Abu Dhabi. An official agreement is expected to be signed at a White House ceremony taking place in the next few weeks.
A joint statement by the three nations stated that “delegations from Israel and the United Arab Emirates will meet in the coming weeks to sign bilateral agreements regarding investments, tourism, direct flights, security, telecommunications, technology, energy, healthcare, culture, the environment, the establishment of reciprocal embassies, and other areas of mutual benefit.”
Biden’s Claims
Biden issued a statement claiming that the peace deal is built on the efforts of multiple administrations. “I personally spent time with leaders of both Israel and the UAE during our administration building the case for cooperation and broader engagement and the benefits it could deliver to both nations, and I am gratified by today’s announcement,” he said.
Biden cited the efforts of the Obama-Biden administration to build on the Arab Peace Initiative, which was originally proposed by Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah in 2002, and later endorsed in Riyadh in 2007. According to the Daily Wire, the original deal “called for full Israeli withdrawal from Golan Heights, which would leave Israel vulnerable to attacks from above it, withdrawal from the Biblical Judea and Samaria, where the ancient Jewish kings were crowned, and withdrawal from East Jerusalem, which includes the Temple Mount, the site of the Biblical temples, and for Jews, the holiest place on earth.”
Instead, the current deal does not require Israel to compromise on any of the aforementioned issues, and the United Arab Emirates has not asked them to.
Reality
Joe Biden may be correct, although not in the way that he intended. During their 8 years in office, the Obama-Biden administration was openly hostile towards Israel. By flagrantly supporting Iran, the largest state sponsor of terrorism in the world, the administration forced Israel to find common cause with some of its neighboring countries. Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia all felt the threat of an increasingly powerful Iran warranted a tacit alliance with Israel.
Obama and Biden disregarded and disrespected Israel, forcing the country to stand alone or seek assistance elsewhere. Although these actions were reversed by President Trump, they may have softened the conflict between Israel and the United Arab Emirates to a degree that they were willing to strive for peace. In the end, this deal was finally accomplished with the help of President Trump, who actually stands with Israel, one of our best allies.