On August 13th, President Trump announced that Israel and the United Arab Emirates had agreed to “finalize a historical [sic] peace agreement” that would involve full normalization of relations between the two nations. Trump stated: “Not since the Israel-Jordan peace treaty was signed more than 25 years ago has so much progress been made towards peace in the Middle East.”

In this context, the Foundation for Middle East Peace (FMEP) and the Middle East Institute (MEI) hosted a 2-part webinar series: The Implications of the Israel-UAE Deal. These 2 webinars, co-moderated by FMEP’s Lara Friedman and MEI’s Khaled Elgindy, explored what the Israel-UAE deal does (and doesn’t) mean, the political context that led to it happening now, and its implications for the future.

Part 1 – “Israeli & Palestinian Expert Perspectives”

ft. Sam Bahour (Ramallah-based business consultant), Marwa Fatafta (Al-Shabaka),  &Elizabeth Tsurkov (Forum for Regional Thinking) [bios here]

 

Part 2 –  “U.S. Expert Perspectives”

ft. Steven Cook (Council on Foreign Relations, Annelle Sheline (Quincy Institute), Dr. James Zogby (Arab American Institute) [bios here]