US Designates UAE, Bahrain as “Major Strategic Partners”

The White House announced, Saturday, that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Kingdom of Bahrain are “Major Security Partners” of the United States.

The White House said, in a statement, that the United States' designation of the UAE and Bahrain as partners affirms their commitment to economic and security cooperation, reflecting their extraordinary courage, determination, and leadership in entering into the Abraham Accords.

The statement added that this moves proves their exceptional security partnership, exemplified by their hosting thousands of United States Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines, as well as the commitment of each country to countering violent extremism across the region.

Last August, UAE became the first Arab nation to normalize relations with Israel since Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994, followed by Bahrain.

Bahrain signed an agreement to normalize relations with Israel at the White House, in the presence of US President Donald Trump.

The Israeli parliament (Knesset) approved with an overwhelming majority the US-brokered normalization deal with Bahrain, as 62 lawmakers voted in favor of the agreement, while 14 others opposed.

Addressing the Knesset after voting, Israeli Prime Minister (PM) Benjamin Netanyahu expected more regional countries to establish relations with Israel.