Cabinet OKs Israel-UAE Peace Treaty

Israel’s cabinet on Monday voted to approve the Abraham Accord signed last month between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. The treaty, which establishes friendly diplomatic and economic relations between the two states, will now advance to the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, which is expected to ratify the treaty next week. Immediately following the vote – not much more than a formality – Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu revealed that he had spoken over the weekend with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and that the two agreed to visit each other’s countries in the near future. Such a summit would be the first official meeting between the two, as Netanyahu was forced to “make do” with the UAE’s foreign minister at the pact’s White House signing ceremony in September. Next week, an Israeli delegation will land for the second time in the UAE to hold meetings with their Abu Dhabi counterparts, who will then accompany the team back to Jerusalem for a historic first official visit in the Jewish state.