Israel thanks Egypt, Oman, Bahrain for supporting deal

JERUSALEM

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Friday thanked Egyptian President Adel-Fattah el-Sisi and the governments of Oman and Bahrain for their support to the normalization of relations between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv.

“Expanding the circle of peace will be good for the entire region,” Netanyahu said in a statement. He also revealed the role of Israeli Ambassador to the US Ron Dermer and the UAE Ambassador to the US Yousef al-Otaiba in reaching the deal.

“[Netanyahu] thanks our ambassador in Washington who worked with his UAE counterpart and the White House, and played a significant role which led to achieve a peace agreement,” the statement added.

The deal to normalize UAE-Israel ties was announced by US President Donald Trump on Thursday, forestalling Israel’s controversial plans to annex large swathes of the occupied West Bank.

A joint statement by the US, UAE and Israel said the “breakthrough” will promote “peace in the Middle East region and is a testament to the bold diplomacy and vision of the three leaders,” referring to Trump, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan and Netanyahu.

Palestinian groups denounced the new agreement, saying it does nothing to serve the Palestinian cause and ignores the rights of the Palestinian people. The UAE's peace deal with Israel is a “treacherous stab in the back of the Palestinian people,” Hamas said in a statement.

* Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara