Abraham Accords Cause for Celebrations in Israel

Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and the United States signed the historic Abraham Accords at a special White House ceremony Tuesday, marking the first time since the 1994 Israel-Jordan peace treaty that an Arab country signed such a pact with the Jewish state. “We are here to change the course of history,” said US President Donald Trump in his remarks on the White House steps, commending the three leaders at his side – Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed and Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid al Zayani – for taking a “stride towards a future … of peace and prosperity.” While the content of the treaties has yet to be revealed to the Israeli public and it is still not clear what exactly, if at all, Netanyahu was forced to give up in the deal, Israelis were in an overall festive mood at the sights and sounds from Washington.