India welcomes pacts by UAE, Bahrain to normalise ties with Israel

India on Thursday welcomed the signing of agreements by the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain to establish formal ties with Israel, and said it has always supported peace and stability in West Asia.

India on Thursday welcomed the signing of agreements by the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain to establish formal ties with Israel, and said it has always supported peace and stability in West Asia. The UAE and Bahrain became the first Arab countries to normalise ties with Israel without a resolution of its decades-old dispute with the Palestinians who are demanding a separate state.

"We have followed the Abraham accords signed in Washington DC by UAE, Bahrain, Israel and the US. As I have said earlier, India has always supported peace and stability in West Asia which is our extended neighbourhood," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said. The pacts were inked on Tuesday in Washington in the presence of US President Donald Trump. "As such we welcome these agreements for normalization of relations between Israel and UAE and Bahrain," he added.

At a media briefing, Srivastava also said India continues its "traditional support" for the Palestinian cause, and hopes for early resumption of direct negotiations for an acceptable "two-state solution".