The photos of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett meeting Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed on Monday were truly heartwarming.
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Some 18 months after making history, the Abraham Accords are alive, kicking and surging forward and nothing can damper their success.
The architects of the peace treaty – then-US President Donald Trump, then-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the crown prince – made it possible for three more Arab nations to forge peace with Israel – true, warm peace that make Egypt and Jordan want to follow suit. They also proved to the international community that, truth be told, Israeli-Arab peace is absolutely possible even without the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Regional implications aside, the Abraham Accords manifest daily, in tourism, business ties and a growing range of collaborations. This is how it should be.
These excellent developments are clouded by only one small detail: anyone privy to the events leading up to the treaty knows that it is not Bennett who was supposed to be the first Israeli premier to meet the leader of the UAE – historical justice should have afforded this honor to Netanyahu.
Dating back to 2015, it was Netanyahu who made the first steps upon which the Abraham Accords were founded. It was Netanyahu who had the foresight to set aside Israel's plan to extend sovereignty to parts of Judea and Samaria and the Jordan Valley in favor of a greater matter – normalization with an Arab nation. History will show that when it comes to the Israeli portion of the Abraham Accords, Netanyahu and his associates deserve the credit.
Moreover, from a diplomatic and political standpoint alike it should have been Netanyahu to represent Israel in the United Arab Emirates this week.
Had he not been the one to bring the previous coalition with Blue and White leader Benny Gantz to an end, and had Bennett not prevented him from forming a government following the March 23 elections, Netanyahu would have been there.
Bennett and his coalition partners know very well that a Netanyahu-led right-wing government was within reach but it was Bennett who torpedoed it, to place himself as the winner, thus trampling on any governmental norm.
Bennett took full advantage of Netanyahu's mistakes, trampled on his own promises to the public, defrauded his constituents, cooperated with the Muslim Brotherhood and anti-Zionist elements – and pretended to do so because he had no choice, and all so he could succeed Netanyahu and become, example, the first Israeli prime minister to meet the UAE leader in public.
In his statements in the Emirates, he did not even bother to mention Netanyahu. This is the truth that needs to be told, especially when taking historical pictures in the UAE.
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