The recent historic peace agreement between the United Arab Emirates and Israel that President Donald Trump helped negotiate was such a big deal that Joe Biden immediately tried to take credit for it.
Last Thursday after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Crown Prince of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces Mohammed Bin Zayed (quite the title) released a joint statement agreeing to normalize Israel-UAE relations, Biden praised the deal which he credited to “efforts of the Obama-Biden administration to build on the Arab Peace Initiative.”
Muslim Scholar Dr. Qanta Ahmed quickly dispelled Biden’s narrative. “President Obama and Vice President Biden did nothing other than empower Iran, feed into the Islamist machine, bring back funds that would be then deployed to Hezbollah, undermine and delegitimize the Sunni Muslim world, eviscerate any confidence the Arab world had in the United States, and laid the ground for tremendous mistrust,” she said. “They sided with the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt against the Egyptian people.”
A number of Trump’s critics praised the deal. Democrat Sen. Chris Murphy said “Normalizing relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates is a historic step that will enhance the security and economic interests of both countries. This breakthrough is a powerful example of how diplomacy can bridge historic divides and advance the United States’ interests.” Democrat House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel said the deal was a “mutually beneficial step that will strengthen both countries.”
And most voters agree.
According to Rasmsusen Reports:
U.S. voters tend to see the surprise agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates as the breakthrough to peace in the Middle East and are more comfortable than they have been in years with the level of American involvement in the region.
48% of Likely U.S. Voters think the Israel-UAE agreement is likely to facilitate peace in the Middle East, with 14% who say it’s Very Likely. Forty-two percent (42%) consider peace in the region as unlikely, including 10% who feel it’s Not At All Likely.
Following the territorial defeat of ISIS and plans to reduce America’s presence in Afghanistan (among other events), more voters than ever are comfortable with the level of U.S. involvement in the Middle East, though it’s still not a majority.
A new high of 40% now rate the level of U.S. involvement in the Middle East as about right. That’s up from a low of 17% in June 2015 and even more optimistic than the 38% who felt that way in December 2018 after President Trump’s announcement that he was removing U.S. troops from Syria.
Thirty-two percent (32%) still think America is too involved in the region, but that figure was at 54% in 2013. Just 15% now say we’re not involved enough, a finding that ran in the low 30s during President Obama’s last two years in office.
Optimism is highest among those who follow the news very closely, 76% of which say they think the new agreement is likely to facilitate peace in the Middle East. This group is also the most likely to believe that the U.S. presence in the Middle East is right (53%).
