Deal With UAE Caps a New Phase of Israeli Diplomacy

The agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates announced in mid-August is the product of a third phase of Israeli peacemaking that builds on lessons learned from previous treaties with Egypt and Jordan, and the failed peace accords with the Palestinians. It should be viewed in the context of weakening American engagement in the Middle East—particularly, of the drawdown of U.S. forces in the region—and the mounting challenges from Turkey and Iran.

Since its founding in 1948, Israel has struggled to establish ties with the states in the Middle East and Muslim-majority nations in Africa and Asia. Israel’s first phase of peacemaking was designed to counteract this predicament by seeking relations in countries on the periphery of the Arab world, such as Turkey, pre-revolution Iran and Ethiopia.