Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Thursday agreed to normalize ties in a landmark US-brokered deal, only the third such accord the Jewish state has struck with an Arab nation.
The news was broken by US President Donald Trump in a tweet hailing a “HUGE breakthrough” and a “Historic Peace Agreement between our two GREAT friends.”
Leaders from both nations would sign the deal at the White House in roughly three weeks, Trump said.
Photos: AFP
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was a “historic day” and would launch a “new era” for the Arab world and Israel.
Palestinians rejected the deal, calling it a “betrayal” of their cause, including their claim to Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state.
Palestinian group Hamas, which runs the Gaza Strip, said that the agreement “does not serve the Palestinian cause.”
A joint statement by Trump, Netanyahu and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Zayed Al Nahyan announced that they had “agreed to the full normalization of relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.”
Israel would “suspend declaring sovereignty” over occupied Palestinian West Bank areas, it said, which was an idea proposed in Trump’s earlier plan to resolve the conflict.
Crown Prince Mohammad wrote on Twitter that “during a call with President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu, an agreement was reached to stop further Israeli annexation of Palestinian territories.”
Netanyahu said shortly afterward in a television address that he had only agreed to delay, not cancel, the plans, which remained “on the table” and that he would “never give up our rights to our land.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that he hoped the deal could help realize a two-state solution with Palestine for peace in the Middle East.
Annexation would “effectively close the door” on negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian leaders and “destroy the prospect” of a viable Palestinian state, he said.
Council on Foreign Relations president Richard Haass told reporters that the deal was “a milestone in Arab acceptance of Israel in the region.”
It was also “a brake on annexation, which would jeopardize Israel’s peace with Jordan and Israel’s own future as a Jewish, democratic state,” Haas said.
However, Turkey and Iran yesterday condemned the deal.
“While betraying the Palestinian cause to serve its narrow interests, the UAE is trying to present this as a kind of act of self-sacrifice for Palestine,” the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. “History and the conscience of the people living in the region will not forget and never forgive this hypocritical behavior.”
The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called it a “stab in the back to all Muslims.”
“The UAE government and other accompanying governments must accept responsibility for all the consequences of this action,” it said.
Additional reporting by AP
PREPARATION: Ferry lines and flights were canceled ahead of only the second storm to hit the nation in November, while many areas canceled classes and work Authorities yesterday evacuated more than 3,000 people ahead of approaching Tropical Storm Fung-wong, which is expected to make landfall between Kaohsiung and Pingtung County this evening. Fung-wong was yesterday morning downgraded from a typhoon to a tropical storm as it approached the nation’s southwest coast, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, as it issued a land alert for the storm. The alert applies to residents in Tainan, Kaohsiung, Pingtung and Taitung counties, and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春). As of press time last night, Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Yilan, Miaoli, Changhua, Yunlin, Pingtung and Penghu counties, as well as Chiayi city and county had
MISINFORMATION: The generated content tends to adopt China’s official stance, such as ‘Taiwan is currently governed by the Chinese central government,’ the NSB said Five China-developed artificial intelligence (AI) language models exhibit cybersecurity risks and content biases, an inspection conducted by the National Security Bureau (NSB) showed. The five AI tools are: DeepSeek, Doubao (豆包), Yiyan (文心一言), Tongyi (通義千問) and Yuanbao (騰訊元寶), the bureau said, advising people to remain vigilant to protect personal data privacy and corporate business secrets. The NSB said it, in accordance with the National Intelligence Services Act (國家情報工作法), has reviewed international cybersecurity reports and intelligence, and coordinated with the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau and the National Police Agency’s Criminal Investigation Bureau to conduct an inspection of China-made AI language
SELF-DETERMINATION: German lawmakers add earth to an art installation in front of the Reichstag to show that the face of a nation lies with its people, Tsai Ing-wen said Taiwan’s future should be decided by Taiwanese, German-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group chairman Till Steffen said yesterday, while giving former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) a tour of the German parliament building. Tsai arrived in Berlin on Sunday and the following day delivered a keynote speech at the Berlin Freedom Conference titled “Threats facing democracies: Taiwan’s experience defending freedom.” Tsai yesterday attended a tea gathering at the Bundestag, joined by former friendship group chairman of 15 years Klaus-Peter Willsch, German defense affairs specialist Roderich Kiesewetter and Federal Ministry of Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth Parliamentary State Secretary Michael Brand. Noting that the
BOOST IN CONFIDENCE: The sale sends a clear message of support for Taiwan and dispels rumors that US President Donald Trump ‘sold out’ the nation, an expert said The US government on Thursday announced a possible sale to Taiwan of fighter jet parts, which was estimated to cost about US$330 million, in a move that an expert said “sends a clear message of support for Taiwan” amid fears that Washington might be wavering in its attitude toward Taipei. It was the first announcement of an arms sale to Taiwan since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House earlier this year. The proposed package includes non-standard components, spare and repair parts, consumables and accessories, as well repair and return support for the F-16, C-130 and Indigenous Defense Fighter aircraft,
RSS