Seeing the dawn of a new Middle East in the wake of U.S.-brokered peace deals between Arab countries and Israel, President Donald Trump on Tuesday said Washington is achieving peace with “no blood in the sand.”
He was addressing the virtually held UN General Assembly session amid a global pandemic that has for the first time forced the world diplomatic forum to skip the customary large gatherings of world diplomats each September.
Trump said he renounced the reckless policies of the past and with a different approach has achieved success in the Middle East, considered elusive due to a range of factors.
“Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain all signed a historic peace agreement in the White House, with many other Middle Eastern countries to come. They are coming fast, and they know it’s great for them and it’s great for the world.”
Although Trump has faced domestic and international criticism for his immigration policies, he is the first U.S. president who has not launched any war in the last several decades during his term.
His predecessors George W Bush and Barack Obama attacked several Muslim-majority Middle Eastern countries, resulting in much bloodshed, waste of money and blew away America’s image as an upholder of human rights.
Trump said he expects more Middle Eastern countries to have peace deals “They are coming fast, and they know it’s great for them and it’s great for the world.”
“These ground-breaking peace deals are the dawn of the new Middle East. By taking a different approach, we have achieved different outcomes — far superior outcomes. We took an approach, and the approach worked. We intend to deliver more peace agreements shortly, and I have never been more optimistic for the future of the region. There is no blood in the sand. Those days are, hopefully, over.”
Yet, there are skeptics in the world who question the lack of clarity so far on the question of Palestinians, who continue to live in harsh sub-human conditions while Israel continues to expand settlements on the occupied territories.
In Afghanistan, Trump reiterated his resolve to end the longest U.S. war.
“As we speak, the United States is also working to end the war in Afghanistan, and we are bringing our troops home.”
America is “fulfilling our destiny as a peacemaker, but it is peace through strength,” he said.
“We are stronger now than ever before. Our weapons are at an advanced level like we’ve never had before — like, frankly, we’ve never even thought of having before. And I only pray to God that we never have to use them.”
Trump also spoke of his administration’s revival of sanctions against Iran, as well as steps to defeat the ISIS militant organization known as Daesh in the Middle East.
“We withdrew from the terrible Iran Nuclear Deal and imposed crippling sanctions on the world’s leading state sponsor of terror. We obliterated the ISIS caliphate 100 percent; killed its founder and leader, al-Baghdadi; and eliminated the world’s top terrorist, Qasem Soleimani.”
Associate Editor Huma Nisar contributed to this report from Washington D.C.
