President Donald Trump announced a historic new peace agreement between Israel and Bahrain on Friday. Relations between the two countries will be normalized under the new deal.
“Another HISTORIC breakthrough today! Our two GREAT friends Israel and the Kingdom of Bahrain agree to a Peace Deal – the second Arab country to make peace with Israel in 30 days!” Trump tweeted.
Another HISTORIC breakthrough today! Our two GREAT friends Israel and the Kingdom of Bahrain agree to a Peace Deal – the second Arab country to make peace with Israel in 30 days!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 11, 2020
Trump also released a joint statement on behalf of the U.S. with Israel and Bahrain, which called the deal a “historic breakthrough to further peace in the Middle East.”
Joint Statement of the United States, the Kingdom of Bahrain, and the State of Israel pic.twitter.com/xMquRkGtpM
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 11, 2020
The statement notes that Israel will permit all Muslims to visit and pray at the Al Aqsa Mosque, and ensure holy sites in Jerusalem stay open for worship of all faiths, on the condition that all worshippers do so in peace.
“Opening direct dialogue and ties between these two dynamic societies and advanced economies will continue the positive transformation of the Middle East and increase stability, security, and prosperity in the region,” the statement said, adding that efforts will continue to “achieve a just, comprehensive, and enduring resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
Trump separately told reporters at the White House that “there’s no more powerful response to the hatred that spawned 9/11 than this agreement.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “It took us 26 years between the second peace agreement with an Arab country and the third, but only 29 days between the third and the fourth, and there will be more.”
Netanyahu’s remarks referenced a 1994 peace deal with Jordan. Israel previously established diplomatic relations with Egypt in 1980, and just last month, the U.S. helped Israel and the United Arab Emirates broker a peace deal.
