BAHRAIN is standing on the “right side of history” that will bring peace and security to the region, said a former diplomat.
Former Bahraini Ambassador to the UK Shaikh Abdulaziz bin Mubarak Al Khalifa was speaking during a webinar, ‘The Abraham Accords: Shaping the Future of the Middle East’, hosted virtually by Bahrain’s Embassy in the UK.
Senior government officials and experts attended.
Shaikh Abdulaziz said even today there were critics to US President Donald Trump-backed historic deals signed in Washington by the UAE and Bahrain with Israel in September.
“In our part of the world people are having doubts whether we made the right decision,” he said.
“I think there’s a lot for us to do in terms of swaying public opinion to convince them this was the right thing to do.”
He said both Bahrain and the UAE had their work cut out to convince all parties including the Israelis that they come in “real peace”.
“For the naysayers out there we need to come out and prove that what we’ve done was the right decision.”
Shaikh Abdulaziz explained it was vital for all parties to sit around the same table and negotiate.
“We are going to fight for the Palestinians as much as they would in order for them to live in dignity.
“Now, that does not compromise in any way Israeli security or Israeli borders.
“We can try to have an outcome for the Palestinians that can actually say to the old guard that enough is enough ... we will accept a reasonable peace offer.
“And at the same time, the Israeli young leaders should also be able to come up and say that these Arabs mean real peace, and therefore, we should accept them with open arms.”
Shaikh Abdulaziz said he did not want the Abraham Accords to be hijacked by “pessimists” who might jeopardise the process.
Instead, he said, the accords will unlock economic opportunities and contribute to regional security.
Bahrain’s Ambassador to the UK Shaikh Fawaz bin Mohammed Al Khalifa said all parties needed to be realistic in their expectations.
“We are looking forward to the results of three Bahraini visits to Israel so far and also looking forward to (Israel) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Bahrain soon,” he said.
The webinar was moderated by former UK Minister of State for the Middle East at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Alistair Burt who spoke about his country’s stance on the developments.
“If you look to the future and see a Middle East which will need stronger economies, the demographic push in the Middle East, there’s a young population looking for jobs,” he said.
“If you think of the Israeli economy plugged into the emerging economies in the Middle East it will result in free passage between people, goods and ideas rightaway across the region.”
Mr Burt said this will put an end to those with evil intentions who often prey on economic difficulties and help the region move ahead with Israel fully plugged in.
Also speaking at the virtual event was The Telegraph newspaper’s Defence Editor Con Coughlin who said the peace deal with Israel will bring a new momentum to the region.
“If you look at the Middle East today, what the Abraham Accords have done is redefine the political landscape of the region; the Gulf states are taking a pragmatic and responsible approach to the future of the region.
“And then you’ve got on the other side of the divide the backward-looking states like Turkey, Syria, Qatar and Iran, who are totally opposed, not just to the Abraham Accords but to any kind of concept of progress in the region.”
Mr Coughlin said Iran was enriching uranium and building new underground facilities around its Natanz nuclear facility that will be a challenge for US President-elect Joe Biden’s administration.
On the same issue, Shaikh Abdulaziz pointed out that Gulf countries were not consulted when former US President Barack Obama signed the deal with Tehran in 2015, when Mr Biden was Vice-President.
President Donald Trump pulled out of the pact in 2018.
“If we are not on the table with Iran (now) then we should be put in the picture as neighbours of Iran,” said Shaikh Abdulaziz.
“We are standing on the right side of history, peace and security.
“Iran is our neighbour and it has to move in a big way.”
sandy@gdn.com.bh
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