THE UAE-ISRAELI PEACE ACCORD VS KHARTOUM DECLARATION: Will Arab League Expel UAE?
KG Nesta
On August 13, 2020, Israel and the UAE agreed to sign an agreement mediated by U.S. President Donald Trump. It is expected that the peace accord (#AbrahamAccord) will be signed in the White House on September 14, 2020. Under the peace deal, Israel and the UAE will establish full diplomatic relations. UAE will become the third Arab state, besides Egypt and Jordan, to fully recognize Israel.
On August 16, 2019, Israel’s foreign minister Israel Katz made a public declaration about military cooperation with the UAE amidst rising tensions with Iran. Also, on August 16, 2020, the UAE for the first time established direct telephone links to Israel. The first direct commercial flight from Israel to the UAE took place on August 31, 2020. This is historic and worthy of discussion, most especially, with respect to the Khartoum Declaration – THREE NOs against Israel. Arab league declared Israel as enemy!
On September 1, 1967, the Arab League summit in Khartoum, Sudan, delivered the “Three NOs”;
1. No peace with Israel,
2. No recognition of Israel,
3. No negotiations with Israel
This declaration was passed as part of the Khartoum resolution, at a summit attended by eight Arab heads of state in the shadow of defeat in the Six-Day Arab-Israeli War. Many Arab nations upholds this resolution till date.
Some Israeli planes on a raid during the 1967 war with the Arab League
It is so serious that Sixteen Arab countries do not accept Israeli passports. These are Algeria, Bangladesh, Brunei, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. Eight of these also do not accept passports of other countries whose holder has an Israeli visa endorsed in it! Can you imagine!
In 1979, Egypt became the 1st Arab country to back out of the Khartoum declaration, signed peace treaty with Israel. I recall many Egyptians and Arab league (headquarter in Cairo, Egypt) were extremely upset that Anwar Sadat made peace with Israel, whereas the 3 NOs were actually in solidarity with Egypt, Syria and Jordan after being defeated by Israel in the 6-day war (1967). Egypt was suspended from Arab league for 10 years, later readmitted in 1989! The then president of Egypt, Anwar Sadat was assassinated in 1981 by a military officer during a military parade for betraying the 3 NOs and for winning the 1978 Nobel peace prize (joint winner with Israeli PM, Menachem Begin). Jordan also made peace with Israel in 1994.
Will Arab league expel UAE?
