The deal represented a significant political reversal for Netanyahu, who had long pushed for an increase in settlements in the occupied West Bank in a bid to annex the region. Netanyahu has come under political pressure to be flexible, as three of the last elections gave him only a majority in a coalition government and he was prosecuted in 2021. In 2019, the Trump administration reversed decades of U.S. policy by declaring that settlements in the West Bank did not violate international law, a move that threatened the two-state solution long seen as the key to lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians. The Trump administration`s Middle East policy, drafted by senior presidential adviser Jared Kushner and released in January 2020, endorsed Netanyahu`s plan to annex existing settlements. After Yousef Al Otaiba, the UAE`s ambassador to the United States, wrote an opinion piece in June 2020 warning that annexation would jeopardize better relations between Israel and the Arab world, Kushner saw an opportunity and intervened to facilitate the talks. After negotiators reached an agreement, Trump, Netanyahu and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed held a conference call immediately before an official announcement. [21] [9] [27] [28] [29] In August 2020, the UAE and Israel concluded a historic peace agreement between Israel and the UAE to lead to a full normalization of relations between the two countries. [54] [55] The agreement officially became part of the Abraham Accords, to which the United Arab Emirates and Israel were parties, and was signed on September 15. September 2020. [56] [57] [58] Security experts in Israel have expressed concern that the deal paved the way for the Trump administration`s proposed sale of F-35 stealth fighter jets and other sophisticated weapons to the United Arab Emirates. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposed the sale of the fighter jets, saying Israel`s stance on the acquisition of such high-end weapons by Middle Eastern states has not changed.

[59] Commenting on the link between the Abraham Agreement and the proposed sale of US-made F-35 fighter jets to the UAE, Hend al-Otaiba, spokesman for the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said: “Especially with regard to the F35, this demand is not something that emerged from the current agreement. Our application for the F-35 has been in the works for six years. He discussed the prospects for peace in the Middle East and the impact of the agreements of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan with Israel to promote stability in the region. Hundreds of thousands of Israeli settlers live in the areas, in addition to palestinians who were in practice under Israeli control. [34] The partnership agreement between the two countries, which will be concluded after the successful conclusion of the talks, aims to strengthen economic relations, elevate trade to a higher level, create a multitude of new investment opportunities for businesses from both countries and the region, and launch a new phase of joint cooperation to achieve peace, regional prosperity and stability. .