UAE-Israel Peace Accord will strengthen region’s stability, development

The Peace Accord, which will be signed today by the UAE and Israel in Washington provides a real opportunity to strengthen security and stability in the Middle East region.

International reactions to the accord agree that it is a historical step that will revive the overall peace process and is a realistic response to the geopolitical changes and the security and development challenges facing the region.

The UAE stressed that the signing of the accord highlights its sovereignty over its own decisions and that it is not biased against any parties, noting that it mainly aims to differentiate between political stances and normal relations, which it believes will open new prospects of prosperity and stability in the region.

The peace accord will also advance the Palestinian Cause, which is the most influential factor in the region’s security in terms of political statements to a logical way of addressing the cause, in line with the geopolitical analysis of the situation in the region and the rest of the world. It is also a key step in reaching a fair and sustainable solution to the Palestinian Cause.

The UAE stresses that it is not changing its stance to support the establishment of a Palestinian state based on the borders of 4th June, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in compliance with legitimate international resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative, affirming that making peace with Israel will not affect the country’s historic support for the Palestinian cause and the rights of the Palestinian people.

The UAE is ranked fourth globally in terms of providing financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority since 1994 worth US$2.104 billion, and is one of the key donors to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, UNRWA, donating more than $828.2 million between 2013 and 2020, in addition to its development and relief projects in various areas of Palestine.

It also pointed out that it will always welcome the Palestinian community, which has played a positive role over the past decades in the development of the UAE.

At the start of this month, the "Emirati-Palestinian Friendship Club" was established to promote communication and enhance overall Emirati-Palestinian ties.

Under the same framework, the peace accord aims to create a knowledge-based economy, facilitate the adoption of advanced technologies and innovation in all sectors, re-establish a new system based on achieving security and stability, and generate growth opportunities for the region’s peoples.

The two countries have also taken steps to strengthen their bilateral cooperation in many vital areas, most notably in foreign affairs, food security, and medical and health research, especially in relation to the novel coronavirus, COVID-19.

On 1st September, 2020, the UAE received a US-Israeli delegation chaired by Jared Kushner, Senior Adviser to President Donald Trump, to discuss their bilateral cooperation in key areas, such as investment, finance, health, civil space programmes, civil aviation, foreign policy and diplomatic affairs, tourism and culture.