The signing of a U.S.-brokered agreement normalizing relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain was the first such treaty between Israel and its neighbors since Jordan made peace with Israel in 1995, and only the third such treaty since Israel was reconstituted in 1948.

President Donald Trump during a signing ceremony at the White House on Tuesday lauded the signing of what was dubbed the Abraham Accords as “the dawn of a new Middle East” and “a major stride toward a future in which people of all faiths and backgrounds live together in peace and prosperity.”

The agreement allows the three nations to exchange embassies and diplomats and to cooperate economically as regional allies, Trump said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed and Bahrain Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al Zayani were at the White House for the signing.

“Today, the world sees that they’re choosing cooperation over conflict, friendship over enmity, prosperity over poverty, and hope over despair,” the president said. “They are choosing a future in which Arabs and Israelis, Muslims, Jews, and Christians can live together, pray together, and dream together, side by side, in harmony, community and peace.”

Franklin Graham welcomed the news of the agreements on Facebook, noting the central place of Jerusalem, Israel’s capital, in history and Biblical prophecy.

“Peace in the Middle East impacts the entire world,” Franklin said, “and I commend President Trump, his son-in-law Jared Kushner, and others who have worked so hard toward this resolution. Even though much remains to be done, this is a start. I applaud them for seeking peace. … Let us continue to ‘Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!’ (Psalm 122:6).”

Trump said the agreements “will serve as the foundation for a comprehensive peace across the entire region” and that he expects more Middle Eastern nations to join in similar agreements.

“The Abraham Accords also open the door for Muslims around the world to visit the historic sites in Israel and to peacefully pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, the third holiest site in Islam,” Trump told those attending the ceremony.

The peace agreements come months after Trump kept a campaign promise to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and officially recognized Israel’s possession of the Golan Heights.

Michael Brown, a messianic Jew and popular Christian apologist and commentator, said that as a student of Bible prophecy, he was enthused by the prospects for peace but also watchful about the implications of the deal.

It’s difficult to know how this peace agreement affects Israel and its place in end-times scenarios, “But what I do know is that Jesus said, ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God’ (Matthew 5:9).

“While only the Lord Himself knows the implications of this important peace treaty, at the least, let’s be glad that leaders are meeting together rather than killing each other,” Brown said. “And let us see the Abraham Accords as a reminder of the day when all the nations of the earth will come to Jerusalem to worship the Lord (Isaiah 2:1-4).

“May He hasten that day!”

 

Above: President Trump with Bahrain Foreign Affairs Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Minister of Foreign Affairs for the United Arab Emirates, Abdullah bin Zayed, as they prepare to sign the Abraham Accords at the White House. 

Photo: Tia Dufour/White House/ZUMAPRESS.com (via Newscom)