By Tyler O'Neil | P J Media
When Norwegian Parliamentarian Christian Tybring-Gjedde
nominated President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize (again) earlier this
week, leftists scoffed. Yet Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
have racked up a string of impressive diplomatic achievements. The dam has
burst, and Muslim countries are normalizing ties with Israel, setting up
embassies in Jerusalem, and ordering hotels to serve Kosher meals. On Friday,
Trump announced yet another breakthrough: the Arab kingdom of Bahrain will
normalize relations with Israel.
“President Donald J. Trump, His Majesty King Hamad bin
Isa bin Salman al-Khalifa of the Kingdom of Bahrain, and Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel spoke today and agreed to the establishment of
full diplomatic relations between Israel and the Kingdom of Bahrain,” Trump,
al-Khalifa, and Netanyahu said in a joint statement.
“This is a historic breakthrough to further peace in the
Middle East,” the statement continues. “Opening direct dialogue and ties
between these two dynamic societies and advanced economies will continue the
transformation of the Middle East and increase stability, security, and prosperity
in the region.”
The announcement followed Bahrain’s decision to host a
Peace to Prosperity workshop on June 25, 2019. The workshop aimed to “achieve a
just, comprehensive, and enduring resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict to enable the Palestinian people to realize their full potential.”
“Israel affirmed that as set forth in the Vision for
Peace, all Muslims who come in peace may visit and pray at the Al Aqsa Mosque
and Jerusalem’s other holy sites will remain open for peaceful worshippers of
all faiths.”
Representatives of Bahrain will join Israel and the
United Arab Emirates on September 15 for a historic signing ceremony at the
White House.
The Bahrain deal follows a string of recent diplomatic
victories. Last month, Trump brokered a deal in which the United Arab
Emirates (UAE) officially recognized Israel. Last week, he announced
that two European countries, Muslim-majority Kosovo and
Christian-majority Serbia, had reached a peace deal between themselves and with
Israel and would set up embassies in Jerusalem.
Also this week, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia announced they would open their
skies to Israeli flights to the UAE. As part of its rapprochment
with Israel, the UAE agreed to order hotels to serve Kosher foods in Abu Dhabi,
delivering a powerful symbol of Jewish acceptance in a notoriously anti-Semitic
part of the world.
The Palestinians tried to force the Arab League to
condemn the UAE-Israel deal, to no avail.
It is no small feat to convince Arab Muslim nations to
normalize ties with Israel, let alone get them to mandate kosher foods in an
Arab capital. Yet Trump’s accomplishments also include convincing
Muslim-majority Kosovo to open an embassy in Jerusalem, recognizing Israel’s
historic capital as the capital of a modern Jewish state.
President Barack Obama received a Nobel Peace Prize for
his “extraordinary efforts to strengthen diplomacy and cooperation between
people.” President Donald Trump should receive a Nobel Peace Prize for his
extraordinary results at establishing historic diplomacy in the
Middle East. Even so, it seems Tybring-Gjedde’s nomination is likely to go
nowhere. The Nobel committee is likely to get too stuck on “Orange Man Bad”
to reward the orange man’s historic results in the same way it
honored Obama’s efforts.
