Rep. Ted Deutch (D) has done what no other Democratic member of Congress has yet to do after it was announced that Israel and the United Arab Emirates have struck a historic peace deal – give credit to President Donald Trump.
Without specifically mentioning the president by name, Deutch put out a statement that welcomed “today’s historic announcement,” calling it an “incredibly significant development for regional stability.”
"I welcome today’s historic announcement that the United Arab Emirates and Israel will move toward normalization of relations. I appreciate the joint statement in which the United States, Israel, and the UAE commit to normalization and a suspension of annexation. Normalization of relations between Israel and the Arab world has been a longstanding bipartisan goal, and today’s announcement reflects the importance of many years of bipartisan diplomacy.
"The historic opening of ties between Israel and the UAE is an incredibly significant development for regional stability. I hope as the two countries work to implement normalization, it will serve as a model for other Arab countries to follow. There is so much that can be done together for the benefit of the region and for US interests.
"All of us who have urged Israel to reconsider its pursuit of annexation should welcome this announcement as an opportunity to build upon serious diplomacy aimed at advancing peace. We hope that Israel’s suspension of annexation represents the first step back to direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
"We further hope that the Palestinians will acknowledge the significance of today’s announcement by Israel and recognize the importance of returning to direct negotiations. At the same time, both the US and Arab countries can and must assist the Palestinian people in meeting their humanitarian needs and encourage Palestinian leaders to return to negotiations.
"After today’s historic announcement, we must work together to encourage peace in the region - peace between Israel and the Arab countries, and peace leading to a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians."
One of Deutch’s potential Republican congressional opponents in November, businesswoman Fran Flynn, told The Floridian that she was “glad to see Rep. Deutch acknowledge that the president’s winning foreign policy made this deal happen.”
Flynn also reminded Americans that “Deutch still has a lot to account for, including his refusal to denounced Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar’s anti-Israel rhetoric and her support for the BDS movement.”
President Trump made the peace deal announcement earlier on Thursday morning from the Oval Office, crediting his administration, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, and U.A.E President, for making the U.S.-brokered deal come to pass.
Trump also said that the two nations would be signing the accord at the White House in the coming weeks.
The Trump-brokered deal makes the UAE the third Arab country, after Jordan and Egypt to have full diplomatic relations with Israel.
“Now that the ice has been broken I expect more Arab and Muslim countries will follow the United Arab Emirates,” said Trump
PM Netanyahu also announced the news of the deal on a nationally televised press conference, stating, “Today we usher in a new era of peace between Israel and the Arab world.”
“There is a good chance we will soon see more Arab countries joining this expanding circle of peace,” added Netanyahu
But Netanyahu said the annexation plan was on “temporary hold,” appearing to contradict statements from Emirati officials who said it was off the table.
