Bahrain Mirror: Israel and the United Arab Emirates announced on Thursday (August 13, 2020) that they will normalize diplomatic ties and forge a broad new relationship, a move that reshapes the order of Middle East politics from the Palestinian issue to Iran.

Under the accord, which U.S. President Donald Trump helped broker, Israel has agreed to suspend its planned annexation of areas of the occupied West Bank. The agreement also firms up opposition to regional power Iran, which the UAE, Israel and the United States view as the main threat in the conflict-riven Middle East.

The agreement was the product of lengthy discussions between Israel, the UAE and the United States that accelerated recently, White House officials said.

In the White House Oval Office, Trump said similar deals are being discussed with other countries in the region.

A signing ceremony including delegations from Israel and the United Arab Emirates is due to be held at the White House in the coming weeks.

Netanyahu said the agreement represented a "historic day" for his country.

In a separate statement, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince stressed that the agreement would stop further Israeli annexation of Palestinian territories.

A joint statement issued by the three states said that the three leaders "agreed to the full normalization of relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates." "This historic diplomatic breakthrough will advance peace in the Middle East region and is a testament to the bold diplomacy," the statement added.

Arabic Version