Israeli Cabinet approves Abraham Accord with UAE

Bill will now be sent to Parliament for final ratification

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to to Foreign Minister Israel Katz during the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem on October 27. Pool via Reuters, file

Israel’s Cabinet on Monday approved a recent deal to establish ties with the UAE and will pass the bill to Parliament for ratification, officials said.

The move approved the Abraham Accord to establish ties with the UAE in exchange for a freeze on the annexation of West Bank and Jordan Valley lands.

It was announced in August and signed at a ceremony at the White House last month. Parliament is expected to discuss the bill on Thursday.

The Cabinet on Monday discussed only the UAE-Israel side of the agreement, as the accord to establish ties with Bahrain has yet to be written up.

The bill is to be presented to Parliament under the title “Treaty of Peace, Diplomatic Relations and Full Normalisation between the United Arab Emirates and the State of Israel”.

It lays out a commitment to “achieve a just, comprehensive, realistic and enduring solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict” that meets the legitimate needs and aspirations of both peoples, and to advance comprehensive Middle East peace, stability and prosperity”.

Parliament is not expected to oppose the proposal.

The UAE became the first country in over two decades to establish official ties with Israel after Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994 signed peace deals.

Bahrain announced that it was following suit and also signed the Abraham Accord at the same ceremony.

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Since the move, UAE and Israeli companies have signed deals aimed at building ties and sharing expertise on important issues from technology, security and health care.

The UAE has made it clear that normalising relations with Israel does not change its stance in supporting an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The Abraham Accord was hailed by international figures who said it could help to restart long-stalled peace talks.

On Sunday, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, spoke with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about co-operation and stability in the region.

The two talked about strengthening ties and "examined prospects for peace and the need for stability, co-operation and development in the region," Sheikh Mohamed wrote in a tweet.