Dubai: A historic peace treaty recently struck between the UAE and Israel has strengthened prospects for peace in the Middle East, Dr Anwar Gargash, the UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, has said.
In mid-September, the UAE and Bahrain on the one hand and Israel signed in Washington peace agreements, officially dubbed “Abraham Accords”.
“Abraham Accords have opened up possibilities for peace in the region including Arab Peace Initiative,” Dr Gargash tweeted in English, referring to a 2002 Arab peace formula supporting resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict through the two-state solution including an independent Palestinian state and normal ties with Israel.
New urgency
“Following years of stagnation, Accords bring new urgency for engagement on negotiating table. Fears of annexation no longer foreseen despite earlier skeptical reports by experts,” Dr Gargash added.
The landmark pact jointly announced by the UAE, Israel and the US in August include establishing formal diplomatic ties between the UAE and Israel, and stopping Israeli plans to annex further Palestinian territories.
The UAE and Bahrain have become the fourth Arab countries after Egypt and Jordan establishing diplomatic ties with Israel. Sudan and Morocco have recently followed suit, agreeing to normalise ties with Israel through US mediation.