Israel, UAE announce normalization of ties, annexation plans put on hold in return

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump announced separately on Thursday that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel have reached an agreement that establishes full diplomatic ties.

The timing of the agreement comes weeks after Netanyahu was expected to annex territories in the West Bank, a move that is considered widely controversial. Arab leaders, even those with ties to Israel, warned Israel not to go ahead with the plan.

The fresh diplomatic ties with the UAE come in return for Israel freezing its annexation plans indefinitely, although Netanyahu said he would still push forward on the subject with full American coordination.

The announcement was followed by enraged reactions amongst the Israeli right wing, Netanyahu’s political base. His main election promise to his voters was to go through with annexation regardless of international criticism.

Israel is now facing political instability and a possible general election.

“Netanyahu would have never followed through on annexation,” Eyal Zisser, an expert on the Middle Eastern affairs from the Tel Aviv University, said, the Israeli prime minister has apparently decided to pay an internal political price instead of attracting international condemnation for annexation.

According to the White House statement, the agreement was finalized in a three-way call between Netanyahu, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Trump.

In the coming weeks the sides are to reach agreements on various fields such as direct flights and cooperation in the fields of energy, tourism and healthcare. Embassies are expected to open.

The agreement would make the UAE the first Gulf state to normalize relations with Israel. The Jewish state has peace agreements with Jordan and Egypt, making the relations with the UAE a major advancement in its regional status.