US officials: Israel, UAE to sign deal at White House

Israel and the United Arab Emirates will sign their historic deal normalizing relations at a White House ceremony on September 15, US officials said Tuesday.

Israel and the United Arab Emirates will sign their historic deal normalizing relations at a White House ceremony on September 15, US officials said Tuesday. The officials said senior delegations from both countries will likely be led by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Emirati Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Zayad, the brother of the UAE crown prince. The officials, who were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the ceremony would either be on the South Lawn, the Rose Garden, or inside depending on weather.

The ceremony will come just a month after the agreement to establish full diplomatic relations was announced on August 13. The historic deal delivered a key foreign policy victory to President Donald Trump as he seeks reelection, and reflected a changing Middle East in which shared concerns about archenemy Iran have largely overtaken traditional Arab support for the Palestinians. That announcement has been followed by the first direct commercial flight between the countries, the establishment of telephone links, and commitments to cooperate in numerous areas.

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