The UAE has evidently decided that peace with Israel is desirable even in the absence of a deal with the Palestinians
Average Israelis will benefit from more affordable vacation options closer to home, as well as reduced airfare for indirect flights with stopovers in those countries. For businesspeople and research and development organizations this could be the harbinger of a new era of technological cooperation in a variety of areas — indeed, preliminary agreements were signed last week.
The agreement could also bring to the fore a planned railroad linking the Haifa seaport with Saudi Arabia. Israeli transportation minister Yisrael Katz had begun promoting the railway project in 2018. The plan would extend existing rail infrastructure from the Haifa port to Jordan’s track system, and from there connect to Saudi lines. The completed project would enable goods to be shipped from Europe to the Gulf and points further east, avoiding the choke points of Syria and the Straits of Hormuz.
Since last Thursday’s announcement, talk has focused on opening embassies. But will they be located in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem? Do these states expect something beyond freezing annexation? And how will the Palestinians react to what they see as a betrayal by the Arab world?
Hitherto the equation was that full Arab ties with Israel would only come in return for a Palestinian state; that was the goal of the 2003 Saudi peace initiative. The UAE has now evidently decided that peace with Israel is desirable even in the absence of a deal with the Palestinians. The latter have now been shorn of their most powerful supports, as Egypt and Saudi Arabia have already expressed cautious support for Trump’s peace plan.
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