Israel and the United Arab Emirates will open diplomatic relations, US President Donald Trump said on Thursday in a surprise announcement of a deal that would halt Israel’s planned annexation of Palestinian land.
“This historic diplomatic breakthrough will advance peace in the Middle East region and is a testament to bold diplomacy and vision of the three leaders and the courage of the United Arab Emirates and Israel to chart a new path that will unlock the great potential of the region,” said a joint statement by the US, the UAE and Israel released by the White House.
The UAE and Israel will sign an agreement at the White House some time in the future, President Trump told reporters.
The two nations will open embassies. Delegations from the two sides will meet in the coming weeks to sign bilateral agreements on areas including energy, tourism, direct flights, investment, security, communication and technology, the UAE foreign ministry said in a statement . The White House statement said Israel will “suspend declaring sovereignty over areas outlined” in the President’s Vision for Peace unveiled earlier and focus its efforts now on expanding ties with other countries in the Arab and Muslim world. It said the three countries are “confident that additional diplomatic breakthroughs with other nations are possible, and will work together to achieve this goal.”
The UAE’s minister of state for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, said the agreement to normalise relations with Israel was done to deal with the threat that further annexation of Palestinian territories posed to the two-state solution. He urged the Palestinians and Israelis to return to the negotiating table.
{{/usCountry}}The UAE’s minister of state for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, said the agreement to normalise relations with Israel was done to deal with the threat that further annexation of Palestinian territories posed to the two-state solution. He urged the Palestinians and Israelis to return to the negotiating table.
{{/usCountry}}Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the deal represented a “historic day” for Israel, and ushered in a “new era” in its relations with the Arab world.
The agreement broke new ground in Israel’s outreach to Gulf Arab countries with a common fear of Iran’s regional influence.
But the Hamas militant group accused the UAE of stabbing the Palestinians in the back. “This announcement is a reward for the Israeli occupation’s crimes,” said Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum. “The normalisation is a stabbing in the back of our people.” The Islamic militant movement seeks Israel’s destruction and has fought three wars against Israel since seizing control of the Gaza Strip in 2007.
A top official in the West Bank settler movement said freezing the annexation plan was a “fair price” for establishing relations with the UAE. Oded Revivi, a top leader in the Yesha settler council, a strong advocate of annexation, tweeted: “The Israeli agreement to postpone the application of Israeli law in the Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria is a fair price. The reaction could be a sign that even Israeli hard-liners who pushed for annexation will not criticize Netanyahu for abandoning their dream.