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Trump says ‘historic’ Israel-UAE deal on diplomatic ties will ‘suspend’ Israeli annexation of Palestinian lands
Israel and the UAE have restored diplomatic ties after inking a deal with the US that will see Tel Aviv temporarily shelve its annexation of the West Bank and Jordan Valley to focus on improving relations with its neighbors.
At US President Donald Trump’s request, Israel has agreed to suspend its plans to officially engulf large areas of the Palestinian territories and instead focus on “expanding ties with other countries in the Arab and Muslim world,” according to a joint statement released by the three countries on Thursday.
Trump announced the “HUGE breakthrough” on Thursday following a meeting with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and the UAE’s Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed.
Israel and the UAE will work together on developing a coronavirus vaccine, the statement continued, adding that the two nations would also work with the US to “launch a Strategic Agenda for the Middle East to expand diplomatic, trade and security cooperation.”
The move represents a surprising reversal of the Netanyahu government’s land-grabbing election rhetoric, which had set the international community on edge given the less-than-legal status of Israel’s occupation of the areas it planned to annex.
Also on rt.com Netanyahu blames Washington for stalled West Bank annexation, says Trump ‘busy with other things’
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