Nearly three years ago, on September 15, 2020, the signing of the Abraham Accords on the White House lawn – between the UAE, Bahrain and Israel, overseen by then president Donald Trump, a month after they were announced – was arguably among the most significant moments in a decade for the Middle East and North Africa.
Barak Ravid’s well-written book Trump’s Peace: The Abraham Accords and The Reshaping of The Middle East, released in English in May, is a fast-paced tale about how this diplomatic coup came about – and also very nearly didn’t because of the antics of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. One chapter is aptly titled “The Rollercoaster” and at times the narrative is nail-biting stuff.
A seasoned journalist, working for American news website Axios and Walla! News in Israel, Ravid regularly breaks exclusives about regional geopolitics and has an extensive network of contacts across the region and Washington DC. Still, he writes the Abraham Accords were a career-defining event. Having previously covered Israel’s attempted overtures to Arab countries, Ravid is well placed to tell this story, particularly as he interviewed Mr Trump in April 2021 at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida for the book.
As well as detail on the anatomy of complex diplomacy and the intricacies and history of the Middle East, Ravid’s book provides many insightful anecdotes, including the revelation that Mr Trump holds a lot of animosity towards Mr Netanyahu, feeling the latter has not been sufficiently grateful for the former’s support for Israel during his time in office.
Interestingly, Mr Trump says he liked Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas very much after a meeting at the White House, which ended in “hugs and kisses”. The former American leader also paints a picture of his foreign policy role as being one of contrarian, able to defy expectations and make seemingly impossible deals.
“My whole life is deals. I’m like one big deal,” Mr Trump boasts, adding that he knew within “three minutes” that Netanyahu was uninterested in a deal with the Palestinians. The experience was instructive for Mr Trump in terms of the nuances of the conflict, Ravid writes. Mr Trump felt comfortable making moves many advised him would not and had not worked in the past, paving the way for US support for a peace deal between the UAE, Bahrain and Israel. However, Ravid writes Mr Trump would have preferred the accords be named after him.
The energetic role of Jared Kushner, special adviser and son-in-law to Mr Trump, is another recurring one throughout the book. From falling well short of a “deal of the century” to make peace between the Palestinians and Israelis in 2019, to the very end of Mr Trump’s foreign policy journey – notably bookended by the January 6, 2021, Capitol riots – Mr Kushner was criss-crossing the Gulf and the Middle East, seemingly always with the influential US official Avi Berkowitz by his side.
Ravid also charts the historical build-up to the successful signing of the accords, including the consequences of the administration of Barack Obama agreeing to the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, which Israel and Gulf countries believed did not properly address Tehran’s threat in terms of ballistic missiles and destabilising activities through proxy groups in Iraq, Lebanon and elsewhere in the region.
With an incoming president Trump, trust levels could be restored after the 2016 elections and this created new opportunities for America’s traditional allies and gave some impetus for outside-of-the-box thinking that led to the accords.
Controversy about the accords stems not only from those who contend the agreement has undermined decades-long efforts to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, but also because of the personalities involved, chiefly Mr Trump and Mr Netanyahu. They remain polarising figures at best and are both the subject of criminal proceedings in their own countries, despite their continued impact on domestic politics. Those who support the impact of the accords, as Ravid’s book explains in detail, are adamant that without the agreement, Mr Netanyahu would have annexed the West Bank, a move which had the potential to trigger a new wave of violence that would have created region-wide instability.
What is certain from the book, however, is how the US was instrumental in the delivery of the accords, perhaps pushing back against the argument in recent years that it has sought to diminish its role in the Middle East.
Overall, the conclusion may simply be that America’s presence is evolving and with it regional relationships and alliances – which bodes well for a more stable future, especially if we look at the developments that have occurred since the signing of the accords, including the mending of Saudi Arabia-Iran ties and attempts to bring Syria back into the Arab fold.
After reading Ravid’s story, there is a persuasive argument to be made that the Abraham Accords at least set a fresh precedent for the success of diplomacy after years of hot and cold conflicts, putting the region on a different and perhaps more hopeful path.
How%20to%20avoid%20getting%20scammed
%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3ENever%20click%20on%20links%20provided%20via%20app%20or%20SMS%2C%20even%20if%20they%20seem%20to%20come%20from%20authorised%20senders%20at%20first%20glance%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EAlways%20double-check%20the%20authenticity%20of%20websites%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EEnable%20Two-Factor%20Authentication%20(2FA)%20for%20all%20your%20working%20and%20personal%20services%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EOnly%20use%20official%20links%20published%20by%20the%20respective%20entity%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EDouble-check%20the%20web%20addresses%20to%20reduce%20exposure%20to%20fake%20sites%20created%20with%20domain%20names%20containing%20spelling%20errors%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Four tips to secure IoT networks
Mohammed Abukhater, vice president at FireEye in the Middle East, said:
- Keep device software up-to-date. Most come with basic operating system, so users should ensure that they always have the latest version
- Besides a strong password, use two-step authentication. There should be a second log-in step like adding a code sent to your mobile number
- Usually smart devices come with many unnecessary features. Users should lock those features that are not required or used frequently
- Always create a different guest network for visitors
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
The biog
Simon Nadim has completed 7,000 dives.
The hardest dive in the UAE is the German U-boat 110m down off the Fujairah coast.
As a child, he loved the documentaries of Jacques Cousteau
He also led a team that discovered the long-lost portion of the Ines oil tanker.
If you are interested in diving, he runs the XR Hub Dive Centre in Fujairah
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
more from Janine di Giovanni
Other ways to buy used products in the UAE
UAE insurance firm Al Wathba National Insurance Company (AWNIC) last year launched an e-commerce website with a facility enabling users to buy car wrecks.
Bidders and potential buyers register on the online salvage car auction portal to view vehicles, review condition reports, or arrange physical surveys, and then start bidding for motors they plan to restore or harvest for parts.
Physical salvage car auctions are a common method for insurers around the world to move on heavily damaged vehicles, but AWNIC is one of the few UAE insurers to offer such services online.
For cars and less sizeable items such as bicycles and furniture, Dubizzle is arguably the best-known marketplace for pre-loved.
Founded in 2005, in recent years it has been joined by a plethora of Facebook community pages for shifting used goods, including Abu Dhabi Marketplace, Flea Market UAE and Arabian Ranches Souq Market while sites such as The Luxury Closet and Riot deal largely in second-hand fashion.
At the high-end of the pre-used spectrum, resellers such as Timepiece360.ae, WatchBox Middle East and Watches Market Dubai deal in authenticated second-hand luxury timepieces from brands such as Rolex, Hublot and Tag Heuer, with a warranty.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
|
1.
|
United States
|
|
2.
|
China
|
|
3.
|
UAE
|
|
4.
|
Japan
|
|
5
|
Norway
|
|
6.
|
Canada
|
|
7.
|
Singapore
|
|
8.
|
Australia
|
|
9.
|
Saudi Arabia
|
|
10.
|
South Korea
|
Should late investors consider cryptocurrencies?
Wealth managers recommend late investors to have a balanced portfolio that typically includes traditional assets such as cash, government and corporate bonds, equities, commodities and commercial property.
They do not usually recommend investing in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies due to the risk and volatility associated with them.
“It has produced eye-watering returns for some, whereas others have lost substantially as this has all depended purely on timing and when the buy-in was. If someone still has about 20 to 25 years until retirement, there isn’t any need to take such risks,” Rupert Connor of Abacus Financial Consultant says.
He adds that if a person is interested in owning a business or growing a property portfolio to increase their retirement income, this can be encouraged provided they keep in mind the overall risk profile of these assets.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Panipat
Director Ashutosh Gowariker
Produced Ashutosh Gowariker, Rohit Shelatkar, Reliance Entertainment
Cast Arjun Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Kriti Sanon, Mohnish Behl, Padmini Kolhapure, Zeenat Aman
Rating 3 /5 stars
More from our neighbourhood series:
'Skin'
Dir: Guy Nattiv
Starring: Jamie Bell, Danielle McDonald, Bill Camp, Vera Farmiga
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Five films to watch
Castle in the Sky (1986)
Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Only Yesterday (1991)
Pom Poki (1994)
The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2013)
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
UAE SQUAD
Ahmed Raza (Captain), Rohan Mustafa, Jonathan Figy, CP Rizwan, Junaid Siddique, Mohammad Usman, Basil Hameed, Zawar Farid, Vriitya Aravind (WK), Waheed Ahmed, Karthik Meiyappan, Zahoor Khan, Darius D'Silva, Chirag Suri
How to vote in the UAE
1) Download your ballot https://www.fvap.gov/
2) Take it to the US Embassy
3) Deadline is October 15
4) The embassy will ensure all ballots reach the US in time for the November 3 poll
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
The specs
Engine: 2.4-litre 4-cylinder
Transmission: CVT auto
Power: 181bhp
Torque: 244Nm
Price: Dh122,900
