India welcomes Abraham Accord between Israel, UAE, Bahrain; reaffirms support to Palestine

India on Thursday welcomed the US-brokered historic accord between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain to normalise relations and establish full diplomatic links even as New Delhi stressed on its traditional support for the Palestinian cause and an acceptable two-state solution.

Signed on Tuesday at the White House, US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were joined by foreign ministers of the UAE and Bahrain to commemorate the historic normalisation agreements inked between Israel and the two Arab countries under the 'Abraham Accord'.

In his weekly press briefing, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said, "We have followed the Abraham Accord between Israel, UAE, Bahrain and the United States. India has always supported peace and stability in West Asia. We welcome these agreements for normalization of relations between Israel, UAE and Bahrain."

He added, "We also continue our traditional support for the Palestinian cause and hope for an early resumption of direct negotiations for an acceptable two-state solution."

India has long maintained its position in favour of a mutually-acceptable two-state solution for the Israel-Palestine dispute. The Abraham Accord comes on the heels of New Delhi's blossoming relationship with Israel and the Arab countries, particularly the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

India enjoys close co-operation with Tel Aviv in almost every sector — ranging from defence manufacturing to space tech to cultural links through rising tourism. Likewise, New Delhi has cultivated lucrative economic links with the UAE and other Gulf countries in fields of energy, IT, infrastructure investment, agricultural trade, etc.

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‘Dawn of a new Middle East’

The Abraham Accord states that the two Arab counties will henceforth normalise diplomatic relations with Israel and thus will be able to exchange ambassadors, establish embassies and enter into trade deals. The UAE and Bahrain have now become the third and fourth gulf countries to normalise relations with Israel after Egypt and Jordan. 

President Donald Trump lauded the agreement as the ‘dawn of a new Middle East’.

After signing, Trump urged other Middle Eastern countries to follow the UAE’s lead and enter into peace agreements with Israel. He added, “Now that the ice has been broken, I expect more Arab and Muslim countries will follow the United Arab Emirates' lead. And I want to just thank them-- it's not surprising, knowing Mohammed so well. It's not surprising. They are in that lead position. And normalise relations with Israel”. 

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