Israel and the United Arab Emirates declared a treaty on Thursday that will lead to a full stabilization of diplomatic relations between the two states, a move that reforms the direction of Middle East politics from the Palestinian dispute to Iran.
Under the agreement, which US President Donald Trump aided to negotiate, Israel has agreed to stop invading areas of the occupied West Bank as it had intended to.
It also firms up opposition to regional power Iran, which the UAE, Israel and the United States view as the leading hazard in the conflict-driven region.
Following are various primary international responses to the treaty:
Israel
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the deal to stabilize ties between the Jewish state and the UAE.
“Today a new era began in the relations between Israel and the Arab world,” he stated, at a televised press conference.
UAE
The UAE said its agreement with Israel was “a bold step” to secure a two-state solution to the long-running Israel-Palestinian clash.
“Most countries will see this as a bold step to secure a two-state solution, allowing time for negotiations,” the UAE’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash told a press conference.
Upon being probed about when the two countries will open embassies, he said he did not want to speculate on the time-frame “but it is definitely not a long time”.
United States
US President Trump said the stabilization of relations between the UAE and Israel is a “HUGE breakthrough”.
In a tweet, he called the deal a “Historic Peace Agreement between our two GREAT friends.”
Hamas
The Gaza Strip’s Islamist leaders Hamas rejected the treaty, saying it did not aid the Palestinian cause.
“The agreement with the UAE is a reward for the Israeli occupation and crimes,” Hamas spokesman Hazem Qasem told AFP.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has called an “urgent meeting” of the Palestinian leadership on the Israel-UAE deal, a statement said.
United Nations
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomes “any initiative that can promote peace and security in the Middle East region”, a UN spokesman said after Israel and the UAE announced the deal.
Iran
Iran’s Tasnim news agency, which is associated with the country’s elite Revolutionary Guards, said the Israel-UAE deal was “shameful”.
Iran’s clerical leaders have yet to react to the agreement.
Egypt
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi commended the US-brokered deal between Israel and the UAE.
“I read with interest and great appreciation the joint statement between the United States, the brotherly United Arab Emirates and Israel concerning the halt of Israel’s annexation of Palestinian land,” Sisi said in a tweet, adding that this would help bring “peace” to the Middle East.
“I appreciate the efforts of the architects of this agreement for the prosperity and stability of our region,” he said.
In 1979, Egypt and Israel signed the first-ever peace treaty between the Jewish state and an Arab nation, capsizing Middle East’s diplomatic and military relations.
Egypt has long served as a moderator between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas that controls the Gaza Strip.
UK
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also welcomed the agreement.
“The UAE and Israel’s decision to normalize relations is hugely good news,” Johnson said on Twitter.
“It was my profound hope that annexation did not go ahead in the West Bank and today’s agreement to suspend those plans is a welcome step on the road to a more peaceful Middle East.”
