Two weeks before the end of his term, the Trump administration is bringing in another groundbreaking agreement in the Middle East. After three years of difficult political and economic conflict between Saudi Arabia and Qatar, a reconciliation agreement will be signed between them tonight (Monday). The breakthrough was achieved by senior advisers to US President Donald Trump, his son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Avi Berkowitz.
The agreement is set to be signed as part of a political summit of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council in Riyadh, in the presence of two senior US officials. Amir Qatar Tamim Ben Hemed al-Thani is expected to accept the Kuwait invitation and attend the conference.
At the heart of the agreement – the end of the political, economic and transport boycott that Saudi Arabia has imposed on Qatar. Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and other countries that were partners in the conflict with Qatar will also renew ties with the country, in all industries. In exchange for ending the boycott, Qatar will withdraw its lawsuits against Saudi Arabia and renew ties with it and with the other countries.
Netanyahu on Saudi statement: “Huge breakthrough” // Archive
More than a month ago, Kushner, Berkowitz and their staff members Adam Buller and Brian Hawk went to Saudi Arabia to promote the agreement. A breakthrough was achieved during that visit, but the parties involved kept it a secret. In the past month, the Americans have continued to mediate between the countries until a final agreement is reached.
Regarding the Israeli angle, a senior White House official told Israel Today: “Without the reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Qatar, it would certainly not have been possible to achieve normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel.” However, he estimated that in the short time left for the current administration it will be difficult to achieve the goal of the series between Riyadh and Jerusalem.