Jewish groups welcome historic deal with UAE as pathway to peace
"Two allies of the US now become open strategic partners in the region to thwart Iran and other Jihadists."
By DONNA RACHEL EDMUNDSGeneral view of the exterior of the Dubai mall, May 3, 2020.(photo credit: REUTERS/ABDEL HADI RAMAHI)
Jewish groups have hailed the Abraham Accord signed between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, normalizing relations between the two states, as an important step toward peace in the Middle East. “All Americans, Democrats and Republicans alike should hail today’s Abraham Agreement, Rabbis Marvin Hier, CEO and Founder, and Abraham Cooper, Associate Dean and Director of Global Social Action of the Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Center said in a statement."Today is a historic day - two allies of the US now become open strategic partners in the region to thwart Iran and other Jihadists. It also signals further dramatic normalization between Arabs and Jews in the region, a goal the SWC has contributed to for over 15 years,” they said, adding: “We are hopeful that our other friends in the region, led by Bahrain will soon follow suit.”The agreement sent a message to the Palestinian people, they continued, declaring: "The peace train has left the station. Peace with Israel is within reach but only if Palestinians have leaders who are prepared to forever foreswear violence and terrorism. Today, the Palestinian Authority no longer has veto power over regional relations between Arab and the Jewish nations. It’s time for the Palestinians to come to the peace table and directly negotiate with Jerusalem.”Zionist NGO Im Tirtzu also welcomed the agreement as a move toward peace in the region, but called on Netanyahu not to back away from declaring sovereignty over Judea and Samaria."Like all citizens of Israel, we desire peace and welcome this agreement," Eytan Meir, Director of External Relations & Development said in a statement. "This is a historic and important milestone for the State of Israel, and we congratulate Prime Minister Netanyahu on this achievement."At the same time, we call on the Prime Minister not to give up on applying sovereignty over Judea & Samaria and the Jordan Valley. It is our historic right and now is the time to implement it."Meir called on the Israeli government to use the agreement to further Israel's interests. "Just like this agreement negated the misguided "land for peace" notion championed by the architects of the Oslo Accords, so too we need to negate the misguided "we can't have peace if we upset the status quo on the Temple Mount" notion and allow for Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount," he said.The left-wing advocacy group J Street, on the other hand, welcomed announcements that Israel is suspending its plans for sovereignty in the West Bank, seeing that move as part of wider normalization."Clarification will be needed that this is not simply a short-term suspension of a disastrous idea, and the United States and the international community should be demanding that Israel commit permanently not to proceed with any unilateral annexation," the group said in a statement."The agreement between Israel and the UAE to move toward fully normalized ties is also welcome news for all who wish to see a stable and prosperous Israel living in peace and security alongside all of its regional neighbors. It is just the latest evidence that dialogue and diplomacy, rather than unilateral action and belligerence, are the route to long-term security."However, not all Jewish groups welcomed the news. “A business deal between oppressive countries has nothing to do with justice," Stefanie Fox, Executive Director of Jewish Voice for Peace said in a statement."What matters is that Israel’s de facto annexation of Palestinian land and devastating apartheid system over Palestinians has been on-going for decades, with the unconditional backing of the United States. We won’t be fooled by attempts to normalize Israel’s human rights abuses while apartheid continues unabetted (sic). Regardless of Trump and Netanyahu’s latest distraction ploy, the Palestinian rights movement and international solidarity for Palestinian freedom grows stronger daily.”
