Storella Publishes Op-Ed on Israel-UAE Normalization Pact
Ambassador Mark Storella, Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, published an op-ed in BU Today discussing a recent pact between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in which UAE recognized Israel and promised to normalize relations with the country.
In his article, Storella outlines who the winners and losers in this agreement are. According to him, there were some clear and notable winners in this agreement including Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, United States President Donald Trump, and Senior Advisor to the President Jared Kushner. Although Storella argues that this agreement was long overdue, he also made clear that there were those who stand to lose following its ratification, including Palestinians who feel betrayed by the pact.
Other Pardee School scholars have called this agreement a “testing of the waters,” and while Storella has made clear how certain diplomatic players stand following the Israel-UAE agreements, he argued it is still to early to have a full view of the effects of the pact.
An excerpt:
For 70 years, Arab states reflexively rallied around the Palestinian cause. That support has seemed increasingly hollow lately, as Arab leaders have tired of unresolved Palestinian grievances and feckless Palestinian leadership. But the old guard in the region still instinctively supports the Palestinians, even if largely rhetorically. The UAE move and Saudi Arabia’s acquiescence highlight generational change in the Arab world.
The full article can be read here.
Ambassador Mark C. Storella was a United States Foreign Service Officer for over three decades serving as Ambassador to Zambia, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration, and Dean of the Leadership and Management School of the Foreign Service Institute. Storella is recipient of the Presidential Rank Award, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Excellence in Service Award, the Thomas Jefferson Award presented by American Citizens Abroad, and several Department of State superior and meritorious honor awards. Learn more about him here.