Netanyahu arrives in US for UAE-Israel peace signing ceremony

WASHINGTON: Benjamin Netanyahu arrived on Monday in Washington ahead of a signing ceremony for the UAE-Israel peace deal.
The Israeli prime minister will join UAE foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed at the White House on Tuesday to ink the agreement, which was brokered by US President Donald Trump and announced last month.
Bahrain announced its own agreement with Israel on Friday and is also expected to attend the ceremony.
“On our way to bring peace in exchange for peace,” Netanyahu tweeted before departing from Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv, where Israeli, US, UAE and Bahraini flags adorned the aircraft’s entrance.
On Sunday, Netanyahu told cabinet ministers: “We now have two historic peace agreements with two Arab countries within one month. I am sure that we all praise this new age... I want to promise you that each and every one of you through your ministries will be a part of it, because this is going to be a different peace.
“It will be a warm peace, an economic peace in addition to a diplomatic peace; a peace between nations.”
Sheikh Abdullah arrived in the US capital a day earlier, heading a delegation of several senior Emirati officials and ministers, as well as the UAE’s permanent representative to the United Nations Lana Nusseibeh.
The UAE deal to establish full relations included an Israeli promise not to annex occupied Palestinian land in the West Bank.
Bahrain will be the fourth Arab country to set up relations with Israel. Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad is in the US and is expected to hold talks with Trump on Monday.
Egypt and Jordan already established relations with Israel in 1979 and 1994 respectively.
Oman, Sudan and Morocco welcomed Bahrain’s announcement, prompting Israeli media to report that they are among the next countries that the US is in talks with to follow suit.
The peace deals with the UAE and Bahrain have been widely opposed by Palestinian factions.

Netanyahu arrives in US for UAE-Israel peace signing ceremony