In mid-August of this year, Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) penned a deal that would normalize their diplomatic relations. Not long after, Bahrain joined the pact in normalizing its relations with Israel. President Donald Trump believes these deals, which he oversaw, are a great step towards peace in the Middle East. Now, he is trying to get more countries onboard. 

The deal, formally called the Abraham Accords Peace Agreement, was signed in the White House in a memorable event broadcasted globally. “This is a historic evening,” exclaimed Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a news conference, “Today, a new era began in the relations of the state of Israel with the Arab World.”

However, this deal is vaguely multi-layered. In a statement announcing the deal, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed emphasized that an agreement was reached to stop further Israeli annexation of Palestinian territories. Also, a stealthy arms deal was part of the agreement. UAE had long-sought to get F-35 combat planes from the US, which Israel had opposed. The deal is now going through.

On the other side of the deal, there are obvious reasons for both Trump and Netanyahu to push through this agreement. The US president is in a race for re-election and hopes that securing a peace deal would help his chances. In fact, he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for the role he played in materializing the deal. Many have argued that bringing about a peace agreement between two countries that were not in war is far from an achievement.