"In an interview with FRANCE 24, Dennis Ross, a former top US adviser on the Middle East, reacted to the recent agreements signed between Israel, the UAE and Bahrain. Ross said he believes the two Gulf states did not betray the Palestinian cause but merely decided to pursue their own national interests. He stressed, however, that the UAE had obtained in return an Israeli decision not to annex the West Bank. He added that West Bank annexation was now 'off the [...]

"At the White House on Tuesday, Israel will formalize peace with the United Arab Emirates and sign a declaration of peace with Bahrain. For some, this event symbolizes the advent of a new day in the region. Others bemoan it for rewarding the Israelis and doing little to end the occupation of the Palestinians..." Read the full article here: Full Article

"Dennis Ross, a former Middle East negotiator for Republican and Democratic administrations, said that another lure for the Emiratis was the possibility of obtaining advanced weaponry they have long sought, which the United States sells only to countries at peace with Israel to preserve its qualitative military edge in the region. “'It doesn’t mean the limits are gone, but they’re more favorable,' Mr. Ross said. He said he would expect the U.A.E. to get weapons like advanced drones. "Mr. Ross said [...]

"We don’t hear many good news stories out of the Middle East, particularly recently, in the midst of the despair over Beirut, regional conflicts and the ravages of covid-19. But on Thursday there was a hopeful development: President Trump announced a historic peace agreement that will normalize relations between the United Arab Emirates and Israel. "Now what had been taking place below the table will be put on top of it. Security cooperation can be acknowledged in public and won’t have [...]

"The Netanyahu government may not have done all this damage: 'Not every incident that transpires in Iran necessarily has something to do with us,' its defense minister coyly said earlier this month. But reporting by The Post and the New York Times pins the largest attacks, including that at the centrifuge facility, on Israel — and Middle East analysts I consulted don’t doubt it. 'I’m surprised the Israelis have not been more circumspect about this,' said Dennis Ross, a former senior [...]

"The White House reportedly held a key meeting this week to decide on how to deal with Israeli annexation of territories allotted to it in the Trump Peace Plan. "We have been critics of the plan, believing that by calling for the absorption of all 130 settlements — including the 78 outside the blocs — it makes separation of Israelis and Palestinians and a viable two state outcome nearly impossible. The Trump administration view is different, believing a Palestinian state neither [...]

"One late night, while I sat with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the middle of negotiating what would become the Hebron protocol, he told me 'I will do what Ben-Gurion did.' I knew he was a disciple of the 'revisionist' movement, bitter enemies of David Ben-Gurion, so I said 'you mean Menachem Begin.' And he shot back: 'No, not Begin, Ben-Gurion — he did the big stuff.' "As I wrestled to understand why Netanyahu seems so determined to press ahead with [...]

"Cutting off the last line of communication would be 'bad for both sides,' said Dennis Ross, a former US Middle East envoy under President Bill Clinton. Ross is now at the Washington Institute. 'All it does is increase the potential for misunderstandings. And I think misunderstandings already exist,' Ross told Al-Monitor. "What’s next: The Israel Defense Forces and Israel’s political opposition are less enthusiastic about the annexation plan. Any threat to security cooperation may make the plan even less palatable to [...]

"Dennis Ross, who helped negotiate earlier peace plans during the Clinton administration, noted signs of 'a certain pause' in the Trump administration’s approach after a series of diplomatic maneuvers that appeared designed to pressure Palestinian officials into new talks with Israel. "Notably, Mr. Ross said, leaders of neighboring Arab states are urging the Trump administration to withhold its approval of West Bank annexation — arguing that it would upend regional security agreements, create a new influx of Palestinians into Jordan and, [...]