Kanye Catches Heat After Applauding Jared Kushner for Historic Middle East Deal

Kanye credited Kushner for helping facilitate a deal in which the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain agreed to normalize relations with Israel.

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Kanye West had some kind words for Jared Kushner—the adviser and son-in-law of his Republican presidential opponent Donald Trump.

"Jared Kushner will have done more for peace in the Middle East than anyone in 30 years," West tweeted Tuesday.

The tweet went up shortly after the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain signed agreements to normalize relations with Israel—making them the third and fourth Arab countries to do so, following Egypt and Jordan. The signing ceremony took place Tuesday on the White House's South Lawn, where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu inked the agreements—dubbed the "Abraham Accords"—along with Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Bahraini Minister for Foreign Affairs Abdullatif Al Zayani. 

"Together these agreements will serve as the foundation for a comprehensive peace across the entire region, something which nobody thought was possible, certainly not in this day and age," Trump said during the ceremony, as reported by CNN. "These agreements prove that the nations of the region are breaking free from failed approaches of the past. Today's signing sets history on a new course and there will be other countries very very soon that will follow these great leaders."

The UAE, which previously had covert relations with Israel, confirmed the deal back in August, shortly before Kushner took the first-ever direct commercial flight between Israel and the UAE. Kushner played a key role in negotiating the accords and has expressed optimism that other Arab countries would follow suit.

West's public praising of Kushner was, of course, met with backlash. Many simply called his comment "dumb" and "stupid," while others pointed out that the accords marked a blow to the Palestinian State, which has been in a longstanding conflict with Israel.

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