Israel, UAE, Bahrain ink diplomatic accords in White House ceremony

 US President Donald Trump hosts the signing of historic diplomatic accords between Israel and two Gulf Arab states, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, in Washington on Tuesday. Hundreds of guests are due to attend the ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House as Trump presides over the inking of the deals.


Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the foreign ministers of the UAE and Bahrain will represent their nations at the ceremony with the agreements being dubbed the "Abraham Accords".


The deals, poised to normalise relations between Israel and the two Gulf countries, are a distinct shift from the status quo in the Middle East but they have been met with scepticism in some quarters with questions over their relative impact and their ostensible neglect of the Palestinian issue.


For Trump, the accords also represent an occasion to appear statesmanlike with the November 3 presidential election in the United States just 50 days away.