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Credit where it is due: Trump deserves praise for West Asia peace deal

New DelhiWritten By: N S VenkataramanUpdated: Sep 17, 2020, 05:48 PM IST
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(File Photo) Bahrain Foreign Minister Abdullatif al-Zayani, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump, and UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan participate in the signing of the Abraham Accords at the White House. Photograph:(AFP)

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Four Arab countries namely Egypt, Jordan, UAE and Bahrain now recognise Israel as a sovereign country. Reports say that Saudi Arabia may also opt for friendly relations with Israel

There is no doubt that the peace accord between the UAE and Israel became a reality due to efforts of US President Donald Trump. Following the footsteps of UAE, Bahrain also restored its relations withe Israel and both these countries gave recognition to Israel. This is a creditable achievement of Trump as it was not an easy peace exercise.

Four Arab countries namely Egypt, Jordan, UAE and Bahrain now recognise Israel as a sovereign country. Reports say that Saudi Arabia may also opt for friendly relations with Israel though it may not immediately recognise Israel as a sovereign country.

Not surprisingly, Palestinians have protested against UAE and Bahrain.

There is increasing realisation among Arab countries in Middle East about fruitlessness of conflict with Israel. This cnflict has not helped Palestinians in any way so far. On the other hand it created hardships. Palestinians are virtually living in isolation without any hope for future.

Success of Trump's peace initiative in Middle East can certainly change the face of the region.

It will be good for Palestinians to see the writing on the wall about existence of Israel and come up with peaceful resolution. This will enable Palestinians to live in peace and realise their potential for growth and development.

Apart from Trump's peace initiative in Middle East, another remarkable initiative is his attempts to have peaceful relations with North Korea. 

US is the most powerful county in the world while North Korea is an impoverished nation. But yet Trump went all the way to Singapore for a summit with Kim Jong-Un. The fact that the initiative did not succeed in establishing peace between two nations does not minimise importance of his initiative.

President Trump's efforts to bring Taliban to the negotiating table has not received due appreciation in the US or in other countries.

It is true that Trump has initiated trade war with China. But many believe that this was a necessary step as China has been exhibiting aggressive behaviour. It should be noted that Trump limited his conflict with China and the trade dispute did not spiral into outright military conflict.

Though ritics and section of media in the US appear to be doing everything possible to denigrate Trump in the run up to US Presidential elections, fairness demands that Trump should be given due credit by American people for his remarkable peace initiative Middle East and similar strategies with repect to North Korea and Afghanistan.

Trump even offered to mediate between India and Pakistan. He was ridiculed and criticised. India and China rejected his offer of mediation. Nevertheless, Trump offered his service towards the cause of peace which is laudable.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)