The Palestinian cause had held Arab states together for decades—until Iran became the bigger threat.
Em setembro de 2020, o Bahrein tornou-se o segundo país árabe em trinta dias a normalizar relações diplomáticas com Israel, seguindo os Emirados Árabes Unidos num movimento mediado pela administração Trump. O anúncio, que culminaria na cerimônia dos Acordos de Abraão na Casa Branca, revelou uma reconfiguração profunda das prioridades geopolíticas do Oriente Médio — onde o temor compartilhado à influência iraniana passou a pesar mais do que décadas de solidariedade com a causa palestina. É um daqueles momentos em que a história não rompe de uma vez, mas se percebe, de repente, que já havia rompido há algum tempo.
- A adesão do Bahrein ao acordo surge apenas 30 dias após os Emirados, sinalizando que o processo de normalização árabe-israelense ganhou velocidade própria e pode ser irreversível.
- A liderança palestina condena o movimento como traição, mas sua voz ecoa com menos força do que em décadas anteriores — um sinal perturbador do quanto sua influência regional se esvaiu.
- Trump anuncia o acordo pelo Twitter após ligações com o rei Hamad e Netanyahu, transformando um realinhamento geopolítico histórico em também um ativo de campanha a seis semanas das eleições americanas.
- O Bahrein, aliado próximo da Arábia Saudita e sede da frota naval americana no Golfo, raramente age sem refletir dinâmicas regionais mais amplas — sua decisão sugere que Riad observa e pondera.
- A cerimônia dos Acordos de Abraão na Casa Branca na terça-feira seguinte consolida simbolicamente uma nova arquitetura de segurança no Oriente Médio, construída sobre o eixo anti-Irã.
Donald Trump anunciou na sexta-feira que o Bahrein havia concordado em estabelecer relações diplomáticas plenas com Israel — o segundo país árabe a fazê-lo em apenas um mês. A notícia veio após telefonemas com o rei Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa e o primeiro-ministro Benjamin Netanyahu, e foi confirmada por uma declaração conjunta dos três países. A cerimônia formal, batizada de Acordos de Abraão, estava marcada para a terça-feira seguinte na Casa Branca.
Netanyahu celebrou o acordo como o fruto de anos de investimento na paz. A OLP, por sua vez, condenou o anúncio como uma traição — uma reação que, embora previsível, soou cada vez mais isolada diante de uma região em transformação. Para Trump, o momento era estrategicamente valioso: com sua campanha de reeleição pressionada pela pandemia e por pesquisas desfavoráveis, uma conquista diplomática de peso oferecia uma narrativa alternativa.
O Bahrein não agiu no vácuo. Na semana anterior, já havia aberto seu espaço aéreo a aeronaves israelenses e emiradenses, e sua política externa costuma refletir as orientações de Riad — seu principal aliado regional. A administração Trump havia preparado o terreno por meses: Pompeo visitara o Sudão, o Bahrein e Omã; Jared Kushner se reunira com o rei em Manama para discutir o plano econômico americano para o Oriente Médio.
O que tornou esses acordos possíveis foi uma reordenação de prioridades. Durante décadas, a causa palestina funcionou como força aglutinadora entre os Estados árabes. Mas à medida que o Irã se consolidou como adversário comum, essa solidariedade começou a se fragmentar. A declaração conjunta mencionou os palestinos quase como protocolo — um aceno a uma causa que já não mobiliza com a mesma urgência. Se outros países árabes seguirão o caminho do Bahrein, ainda estava por se ver, mas o impulso parecia claro.
Donald Trump announced on Friday that Bahrain had agreed to establish full diplomatic relations with Israel, making it the second Arab nation in a month to take such a step. The president shared the news via Twitter after speaking by phone with Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. All three countries then issued a joint statement confirming they had agreed to normalize ties, framing the move as a historic breakthrough for regional stability and prosperity.
The formal signing ceremony, called the Abraham Accords, would take place the following Tuesday at the White House. Netanyahu, speaking in a video message, celebrated the agreement by suggesting that years of investment in peace were finally beginning to pay dividends in the form of real economic benefits for Israel. The Palestinian Liberation Organization, by contrast, condemned the announcement as a betrayal of the Palestinian cause—a weakened voice in a region where the calculus of Arab interests appeared to be shifting.
For Trump, the timing was strategically significant. The announcement came as his reelection campaign faced headwinds from the pandemic and economic crisis, with polls showing him trailing Democratic challenger Joe Biden by 7.5 percentage points. A major diplomatic achievement weeks before the November election offered a counterweight to those domestic struggles. The administration had been actively working to convince Sunni Arab states worried about Iranian influence to engage with Israel, and Bahrain's decision suggested that strategy was bearing fruit.
Bahrain's move did not emerge in isolation. The kingdom had already signaled its openness by allowing Israeli and Emirati aircraft to use its airspace the previous week, following Saudi Arabia's lead. As a close Saudi ally hosting the U.S. Navy's regional headquarters, Bahrain's foreign policy moves typically reflected broader regional dynamics. Saudi Arabia had previously sent troops to suppress an internal rebellion in 2011 and, along with the UAE and Kuwait, had provided $10 billion in economic aid to the kingdom in 2018.
The Trump administration had been laying groundwork for these agreements for months. In late August, Netanyahu had publicly acknowledged maintaining secret contacts with Arab and Muslim leaders about normalization. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had visited Sudan, Bahrain, and Oman the week before, attempting to persuade them to follow the UAE's example. Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, had met with King Al Khalifa in Manama earlier in the month to discuss the administration's economic plan for the Middle East—a proposal the Palestinians had already rejected.
What made these agreements possible was a fundamental reordering of Arab priorities. For decades, the Palestinian cause had served as a binding force among Arab states, a shared commitment that had kept most of them aligned against Israel. But as Iran consolidated its position as a common adversary, that solidarity began to fracture. Sunni Arab states increasingly saw their security interests as aligned with Israel's, particularly in countering Iranian regional ambitions. The joint statement acknowledged this by pledging continued efforts toward a Palestinian resolution, but the language felt almost perfunctory—a nod to a cause that no longer commanded the same urgency.
The Abraham Accords represented a significant shift in Middle Eastern geopolitics, one that had been building for years but was now accelerating under American mediation. Whether other Arab nations would follow Bahrain's path remained to be seen, but the momentum appeared to be moving in that direction. The Palestinian leadership's condemnation carried less weight than it might have in an earlier era, a sign of how much the region's power dynamics had changed.
Citações Notáveis
By many years, we invested in peace, and now peace will invest in us, bringing truly real investments to the Israeli economy.— Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister
This is a historic agreement to advance peace in the Middle East. Direct dialogue and ties between these two dynamic societies and advanced economies will continue the positive transformation of the Middle East.— Joint statement from Israel, Bahrain, and the United States
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why did Bahrain move now, when the Palestinian cause had held Arab states together for so long?
Because Iran became the bigger threat. When you're a small Sunni kingdom surrounded by Iranian influence, your calculation changes. Israel stops being the main problem and becomes a potential ally against what you see as a greater danger.
But doesn't this isolate the Palestinians further?
It does, which is why the PLO called it a betrayal. They've lost leverage. When Arab states stop treating their cause as a binding commitment, the Palestinians have fewer cards to play.
Was Trump's campaign really the driving force here, or was this inevitable?
Trump accelerated it and took credit for it, but the underlying shift was already happening. He provided the diplomatic machinery and the public ceremony. The real work was done by years of quiet contacts and shared security concerns.
What happens if Saudi Arabia joins?
That would be the domino that changes everything. Saudi Arabia is the heavyweight. If Riyadh normalizes, the entire regional order shifts, and any remaining Arab resistance to Israel essentially collapses.
And the Palestinians?
They're watching to see if they become completely isolated, or if someone still negotiates on their behalf. Right now, they're losing both.