Israel and the United Arab Emirates announced Thursday they are establishing full diplomatic relations in a U.S.-brokered deal that required Israel to halt its contentious plan to annex occupied West Bank land sought by the Palestinians.
Israel and the United Arab Emirates have reached a deal to normalise relations, with Israel agreeing to suspend its controversial plans to annex parts of the occupied West Bank.
In a surprise announcement, US President Donald Trump said the deal would lead to greater cooperation on investment, tourism, security, technology, energy and other areas while the two countries move to allow regular direct passenger flights, open embassies and trade ambassadors for the first time.
Until now Israel has had no diplomatic relations with Gulf Arab countries. But shared worries over Iran have led to unofficial contacts between them.
BBC reports that Palestinian leaders were reportedly taken by surprise. A spokesman for President Mahmoud Abbas said the deal amounted to "treason", and the Palestinian ambassador to the UAE was being recalled.
President Trump called the deal between Prime Minister Netanyahu and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan "a truly historic moment". It marks only the third Israel-Arab peace deal since Israel's declaration of independence in 1948, after Egypt and Jordan.
"Now that the ice has been broken I expect more Arab and Muslim countries will follow the United Arab Emirates," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, saying there would be a signing ceremony at the White House in the coming weeks.
Earlier, in response to a President Trump's tweeted announcement, Netanyahu wrote in Hebrew: "Historic day."
In a TV address, Netanyahu said he had "delayed" West Bank annexation plans, but those plans remain "on the table". Annexation would make some West Bank areas officially part of Israel.
"There is no change in my plan to apply our sovereignty to Judea and Samaria [West Bank] in full co-ordination with the US. I'm committed to it. That hasn't changed. I remind you that I was the one who put the issue of sovereignty over Judea and Samaria on the table. This issue remains on the table," he said.
Netanyahu said Israel would co-operate with the UAE in developing a coronavirus vaccine, in energy, water, environmental protection and many other fields.
Analysts say the deal could mean a foreign policy victory for President Trump, who will seek re-election in November, and give a personal boost to Prime Minister Netanyahu, who is on trial for alleged corruption.
Both leaders have seen their approval ratings drop because of their response to the coronavirus pandemic. And in Israel, some on the right who want to annex the West Bank expressed anger over the announcement.
The UAE's ambassador to the US, Yousef Al Otaiba, said the deal with Israel was "a win for diplomacy and for the region", adding: "It is a significant advance in Arab-Israeli relations that lowers tensions and creates new energy for positive change".
Senior Trump adviser Jared Kushner said he did not think Israel would move ahead with any annexation before discussing it first with the US. He said he expected to see interactions "very quickly" between Israel and the UAE.
Egypt signed a deal with Israel in 1979 and Jordan in 1994. Mauritania also established diplomatic ties with Israel in 1999, but froze the deal in 2009.