White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that the Trump administration did not help Middle East peace processes during a press conference Tuesday.
“The president has reinstated humanitarian assistance and security assistance to the Palestinians. That’s something that was stopped back in 2018, and we felt that was not a constructive action by the prior administration,” Psaki said during an Air Force One press briefing. “Aside from putting forward a peace proposal that was dead on arrival, we don’t think they did anything constructive, really, to bring an end to the longstanding conflict in the Middle East.”
The Trump administration organized the Abraham Accords between Israel and Sudan, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which normalized relations between Israel and the three Arab states. Israel and Morocco also normalized relations, although that agreement was not part of the Abraham Accords. (RELATED: Report: First Commercial Flight Between Israel And UAE To Take Off Monday)
In exchange for their official recognition of Israel, the countries received certain benefits from the U.S. The White House removed Sudan from its list of state sponsors of terrorism. State sponsors of terrorism may not receive certain foreign aid and defense sales and may be denied access to financial markets.
The U.S. also recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over the Western Sahara region. After Spain pulled out of Western Sahara in 1976, Morocco annexed the former colony, which it had first claimed during the colonial era. Western Sahara militia leaders fought Morocco from 1976 until 1991, and the territory remained disputed.
Although Biden had publicly expressed support for the Abraham Accords, he paused the sale of F-35 fighter jets to the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The UAE deal was part of the Abraham Accords, while Saudi Arabia has increased ties with Israel despite not being a formal signatory.
Despite normalization, Bahrain and the UAE criticized Israel’s actions in its fight with Hamas. Bahrain said that Israel must “stop these rejected provocations against the people of Jerusalem, and work to prevent its forces from attacking worshipers in this holy month,” in response to a clash between rioters and guards at the Al-Aqsa compound, according to the Times of Israel.
The UAE expressed “deep concern over the violence” while claiming that Israel has “a responsibility for de-escalation.”
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Moroccan Foreign Affairs Minister Nasser Bourita on Tuesday about organizing ceasefire talks. Morocco had shipped 40 tons of emergency humanitarian aid to Palestine, according to Morocco World News.