Washington — President Trump is presiding over a ceremony at the White House on Tuesday with the leaders of Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain for the signing of historic deals between the nations.
Mr. Trump will welcome Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the foreign ministers of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates to the White House ahead of the signing of the diplomatic accords. The Emiratis and the Israelis are expected to sign their own bilateral document, as are the Bahrainis and the Israelis, a senior administration official told reporters Monday. Representatives from all three nations will also sign a document, the official said, though the text has not yet been released. The U.S. will sign the deals as a "witness or observer."
Senior Democratic lawmakers were invited to attend the event, and several are expected to be in attendance.
Called the "Abraham Accords," the declarations will formalize the normalization of diplomatic relations between Israel and the two Gulf nations. White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, who is also the president's son-in-law, on Monday called the agreements a "huge accomplishment for the countries involved and have led to a tremendous sense of hope and optimism in the region."
How to watch the Abraham Accords signing ceremony- What: President Trump presides over the signing of the Abraham AccordsWhen: Tuesday, September 15Time: 12 p.m. ETLocation: The White HouseOnline stream: Live on CBSN, in the player above or on your mobile or streaming device
"Instead of focusing on past conflicts, people are now focused on creating a vibrant future filled with endless possibilities," he said in a statement.
Mr. Trump announced the diplomatic deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates last month. Kushner and national security adviser Robert O'Brien then joined an Israeli delegation for the first commercial flight from Israel to the UAE following the deal to normalize relations between the two nations.
The president then announced Friday that Bahrain and Israel agreed to establish full diplomatic relations.