Within a month of the United Arab Emirates normalising ties with Israel, yet another Arab state has entered into a ‘peace deal’ with Israel, which will undoubtedly send shockwaves throughout the rest of the international community. Quite naturally, Palestine will not take this kindly; one state was only an outlier, but two countries in less than a month implies that a snowball effect might just lead to the two-state solution completely slipping under the radar.
Bahrain’s normalisation of ties comes at a time when there are whispered reports of a change taking place in the Gulf, where Arab states are warming up to the idea of Israel, mostly through the US’ blessing. But a key player in this equation may be Saudi Arabia according to experts. Bahrain’s closeness to the Kingdom and its deference to Saudi Arabia in matters of foreign policy indicates that this decision came about through consultation. Even though Saudi Arabia has so far outrightly rejected the idea of dealing with Israel until a solution to Palestine has been found, Bahrain’s recognition of Israel indicates that other Arab nations might indeed follow in the footsteps of UAE.
For the Trump Administration, this is nothing short of a resounding victory. President Trump has openly and vocally supported the Israeli narrative time and again, and the recognition of Jerusalem was only the first in a series of momentous decisions that have changed the geo-political situation of the Middle East, mostly in the negative sense. But this will not matter to the American President, who can look back at his Pro-Israel policy with pride; the annexation continues and now traditionally hostile countries are speaking to Israel without fear of conflict. Undoubtedly, foreign policy will be a cornerstone for the US President’s re-election campaign in November.
However, from Pakistan’s perspective, which has always firmly stood in Palestine’s corner, this is bad news. More Arab states normalising ties with Israel only means that the annexation is gaining greater legitimacy as time passes. And for this, all countries that support the Palestinian struggle must lend their voices and exercise any diplomatic option available to ensure the rights of Palestinians are protected.