Israel’s parliament overwhelmingly votes in favour of UAE deal

ACCORD PASSED IN 80- 13 VOTE; IT’S AWARM PEACE, BETWEEN PEOPLES, NETANYAHU SAYS

Israel’s parliament yesterday voted overwhelmingly in favour of formally ratifying the country’s historic agreement normalising diplomatic relations with the UAE.

Israel and the UAE announced the US- brokered agreement in August, and signed a deal in a White House ceremony last month. Yesterday’s approval by the 120- seat Knesset, or parliament, which passed in a 80- 13 vote, was largely a formality.

The UAE has become just the third Arab country to establish official ties with Israel, after Egypt and Jordan, and the first to do so in a quarter century. Bahrain is also in the process of formalising tieswith Israel, and the White House has suggested that other Arab countries will follow suit.

“Many Arab and Muslim countries want to get close to us,’’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a speech. “They are changing their attitude toward us.”

Paradigm shift

The vote took place after nearly nine hours of an at times stormy debate, during which more than 100 ministers and members spoke. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the plenary twice— at its start at 11am, and right before the vote after 8pm — hailing the agreement as a paradigm shift in the Arab world’s approach to Israel, while touting his role in bringing many nations closer to Israel.

“It’s a warm peace, between peoples,” he said, recalling being moved at seeing social media footage of Emirati children draping themselves in an Israeli flag. Now approved by the Knesset, the Abraham Accords will return to the desks of ministers, who will vote on them once more. Once ratified, the agreement enters into force for Israel.

AFP Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri ( right) meets with US envoy David Schenker in Beirut yesterday. The meeting comes one day after Lebanon and Israel, still technically at war, held unprecedented talks under UN and US auspices to settle amaritime border dispute and clear the way for oil and gas exploration within a “reasonable time”.

Reuters Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives to attend a vote on the approval of the normalisation deal with the UAE at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, in Jerusalem yesterday.