Read on Twitter
The following tweet thread includes some of my thoughts on today's signing of the #AbrahamAccords.
The #AbrahamAccords deserve the title "peace agreement." Arab League members #Bahrain & #UAE, founded in 1971, weren't around to join in the Arab League's military attempt to destroy Israel in 1948. However, they long joined in AL efforts to strangle Israel economically.
#Bahrain and the #UAE long participated in the Arab League effort to strangle Israel economically by boycotting not only Israel but U.S. and other non-Israeli companies trading with Israel.
During the 1973 Yom Kippur War, #Bahrain and the #UAE joined with other Arab members of OPEC to impose an oil embargo against the U.S. in retaliation for the U.S. decision to resupply the Israeli military (and thereby save Israel from defeat). https://history.state.gov/milestones/1969-1976/oil-embargo
President Nixon considered the Arab oil embargo, and the UAE's participation in it, so damaging that he "seriously considered" military action to seize #UAE oil fields in Abu Dhabi. https://www.britannica.com/event/Arab-oil-embargo
In 1979, after Egypt made peace with Israel, #Bahrain and #UAE joined other Arab League members in suspending Egypt's membership & imposing on it a political and economic boycott.Both withdrew their ambassadors from Egypt to protest its peace with Israel. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1979/04/02/arab-sanctions-leave-egypt-unshaken/c6468b0d-1abf-41ac-99ce-601df3b4b14a/
Now #UAE and #Bahrain officials seem more publicly enthusiastic than Egyptian (or Jordan) officials did in their time. An Arab/Israeli warm peace will send important signal to Arab public that peace is permanent, to be embraced, not tactical/temporary, to be held at arms length.
The #UAE and #Bahrain agreements seem to envision much warmer peace than Israel has with Egypt and Jordan. For example, Bahrain statements talks of "friendship" and forthcoming deals in ten different arenas including tourism, culture, healthcare and tech. https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/full-text-declaration-of-peace-signed-by-israel-and-bahrain-1.9159301
#UAE statement envisions a much warmer peace than Israel has with Egypt & Jordan, discussing partnering in 10 fields to "transform the region by spurring economic growth, enhancing technological innovation, and forging closer people-to-people relations." https://www.arabnews.com/node/1718951/middle-east
