Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba Statement Regarding Announcement Between Israel and United Arab Emirates

Today’s announcement is a significant advance for the region and for diplomacy. It immediately stops annexation and the potential of violent escalation. It maintains the viability of a two-state solution as endorsed by the Arab League and international community. It creates new dynamics and possibilities in the peace process. It bolsters the stability of Jordan.  

It is a significant advance in Arab-Israeli relations that lowers tensions and creates new energy for positive change across the region.   As two of the Middle East’s most dynamic economies and vibrant societies, closer UAE-Israel ties will accelerate growth and innovation, expand opportunities for young people, and breakdown long-held prejudices.  It will help move the region beyond a troubled legacy of hostility and strife to a more hopeful destiny of peace and prosperity.

The UAE and Israel also will join with the United States to establish a Strategic Agenda for the Middle East to deepen diplomatic, commercial and security cooperation together and with other countries committed to peace and non-interference.  UAE initiatives to encourage regional dialogue and engagement will be intensified. 

Talks to implement normalization will start in the coming weeks. Most urgently, the UAE and Israel will expand and intensify our cooperation on fighting the coronavirus.  Near-term plans also include discussions on visa access; air, telecommunications and shipping links; collaboration on health, water and food security, climate change, technology and energy; cultural and educational exchanges; ministerial-level visits; and a reciprocal exchange of Embassies.

The UAE will continue to remain a strong supporter of the Palestinian people – for their dignity, their rights and their own sovereign state.  They must benefit too in normalization.  As we have for fifty years, we will forcefully advocate for these ends, now directly and bolstered with stronger incentives, policy options and diplomatic tools.

Learn more about Yousef Al Otaiba, Ambassador of the UAE to the US.