Trump suggested more diplomatic inroads between Israel and its Muslim neighbors
Washington:
US President Donald Trump, in a surprise announcement, said Thursday that Israel and the United Arab Emirates have reached a peace deal.
The normalization of relations between the UAE and Israel is a “huge breakthrough,” Trump tweeted, calling it “a historic peace deal between our two BIG friends.”
Speaking to reporters later, Trump suggested that more diplomatic breakthroughs between Israel and its Muslim neighbors in the region were expected.
“There are things going on that I can’t talk about,” he says.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo described it as “a historic day and a significant step forward for peace in the Middle East”.
“The United States hopes this courageous move will be the first in a series of agreements ending 72 years of hostilities in the region,” Pompeo said.
In a joint statement, Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan said they met on Thursday “and agreed to the full normalization of relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates”.
The Israeli and UAE delegations will meet in the coming weeks to sign bilateral agreements on investment, tourism, direct flights, security and the establishment of reciprocal embassies, they said.
“At the request of President Trump with the support of the United Arab Emirates, Israel will suspend its declaration of sovereignty over the areas described in the President’s Vision for Peace and will focus its efforts now on expanding ties with other countries in the United Arab Emirates. Arab and Muslim world, “said statement.
“The United States, Israel and the United Arab Emirates are convinced that further diplomatic breakthroughs with other nations are possible and will work together to achieve this goal,” he added.
(This story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
