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.
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Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
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Ticket prices
General admission Dh295 (under-three free)
Buy a four-person Family & Friends ticket and pay for only three tickets, so the fourth family member is free
Buy tickets at: wbworldabudhabi.com/en/tickets
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AGL AWARDS
Golden Ball - best Emirati player: Khalfan Mubarak (Al Jazira)
Golden Ball - best foreign player: Igor Coronado (Sharjah)
Golden Glove - best goalkeeper: Adel Al Hosani (Sharjah)
Best Coach - the leader: Abdulaziz Al Anbari (Sharjah)
Fans' Player of the Year: Driss Fetouhi (Dibba)
Golden Boy - best young player: Ali Saleh (Al Wasl)
Best Fans of the Year: Sharjah
Goal of the Year: Michael Ortega (Baniyas)
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
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if you go
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct to Kolkata from Dh1,504 and Dh1,450 return including taxes, respectively. The flight takes four hours 30 minutes outbound and 5 hours 30 minute returning.
The trains
Numerous trains link Kolkata and Murshidabad but the daily early morning Hazarduari Express (3’ 52”) is the fastest and most convenient; this service also stops in Plassey. The return train departs Murshidabad late afternoon. Though just about feasible as a day trip, staying overnight is recommended.
The hotels
Mursidabad’s hotels are less than modest but Berhampore, 11km south, offers more accommodation and facilities (and the Hazarduari Express also pauses here). Try Hotel The Fame, with an array of rooms from doubles at Rs1,596/Dh90 to a ‘grand presidential suite’ at Rs7,854/Dh443.
Tips to avoid getting scammed
1) Beware of cheques presented late on Thursday
2) Visit an RTA centre to change registration only after receiving payment
3) Be aware of people asking to test drive the car alone
4) Try not to close the sale at night
5) Don't be rushed into a sale
6) Call 901 if you see any suspicious behaviour
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
