His Excellency Dr. Anwar bin Mohammed Gargash ,  Cabinet Member and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates (mofaic.gov)

By Gary Raynaldo   DIPLOMATIC TIMES

Extremely proud of the United Arab Emirates’  historic peace deal with Israel, Anwar bin Mohammed Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the  UAE, urged other Arab nations to learn from its example and begin dialogue with Israel.  The UAE recently joined Bahrain in signing the normalization “Abraham Accords” with Israel — the first Arab states to do so in decades.  The Bahrain–Israel normalization agreement officially Abraham Accords: Declaration of Peace, Cooperation, and Constructive Diplomatic and Friendly Relations is an agreement to normalize diplomatic and other relations between Bahrain and Israel. The UAE wasted no time in following Bahrain and is urging other Arab states to join in.  Speaking on the UAE-Israeli deal the Minister said: 

“It shows that two of the most dynamic cultures in the region can work together.  Israel has and opportunity to start a relationship with an Arab country with a dynamic economy that can spill over to other (Arab) states. But it is not only about business deals and transactions. It is important to present a different narrative in the region from extremism. The region has been locked in religious extremism for too long.”  

-Anwar bin Mohammed Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the  UAE  

The UAE minister made the remark made the remarks while speaking during a virtual meeting last week hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations titled: A Conversation With Anwar Gargash. The UAE minister discussed the Abraham Accords, regional relations, and the future of Middle East peace.   “We can have our differences and we can have our issues in the political plane, but these issues and narratives should not demonize one another. Arabs to Israelis. Israelis to Arabs. Muslims to Jews and Jews to Muslims”, Gargash said. 

ISRAELI –  PALESTIAN ISSUE 

“On the  Israeli-Palestinian peace level, I feel what made the deal much faster, …we would not have had relations with Israel in 2021 or 2022,   but what sort of brought everything  forward was this opportunity of suspending the annexation of Palestinian land. I think this was very much a threat to any hopes of a two-state solution.  While it does not give the two-state solution a Carte Blanche, it gives it a respite.  And I think we need to use that respite and urge Israelis and Palestinians to sit together  and to compromise. The history of the region is very much the history of two things:  Lost opportunities and facts on the ground limiting political options.”

-Anwar bin Mohammed Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the  UAE

The UAE  minister made it clear that when it comes to the Israeli-Palestinian issue,  “we (UAE) are not the main issue. The  main issue is the  Palestinians and the Israelis.” 

“They will decide really what sort of solution they will agree to, but we need to help  urge them on and we need to break  a  lot of  cul  de sacs that they find  themselves in.  This is essential. I would say that the Palestinians will recognize that we will be able to help more because we are able to communicate with Israel, have created some reservoir of good , we will  have created channels of communications. I have really reflected and ask myself what are the two most important Arab countries that are   effective in helping the Palestinians today. They are – no surprise-  Egypt and Jordan, because they have relations with Israel.  So clearly, I think this is essential.  If you have relations, you are bound to create leverage, you are bound to create confidence, people are willing to listen and trust.  This is also strategic. The region is mired in sort of still waters. The region only has bad news for past 20 years.  We are bringing in good news…that the region is capable of surprising itself.”

 UAE Pushing For A Seat on The UN Security Council

The UAE  has announced its candidacy for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the 2022-2023 term, state media said this month.  UAE wants to be a regional diplomatic power in the Arab region. In June 2021, the UN General Assembly will elect five member states to serve on the Security Council, which has a total of 10 non-permanent members who serve overlapping two-year terms. The United States and the UAE reportedly are seeking to have an initial agreement on the sale of F-35 stealth fighter jets to the Gulf state in place by December. 

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