Israel’s parliament approved on Thursday the U.S.-brokered agreement to establish normalizing diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates.
The deal was approved by a vote of 80 lawmakers in favor and 13 opposed.
The 13 opposing votes were cast in solidarity with Palestinians by the Joint List, the main Arab-majority faction in the Israeli parliament.
This normalization agreement marks the first deal in 25 years, making the UAE the third country in the region to establish official ties with Israel, after Egypt and Jordan.
According to the White House, more Arab Gulf countries are expected to join the club. In addition, a normalization deal with Bahrain is currently in the process.
“The deals reflect a shift in the Middle East, as Arab countries’ shared concerns with Israel over Iran outweigh their traditional support for the Palestinians,” reported the Associated Press.
Meanwhile, Lebanon and Israel are holding negotiations over the disputed maritime border in talks deemed “historic” by the U.S. government.
These negotiations, as pointed out by Hezbollah and Lebanon’s Foreign Minister, do not signal peacemaking, normalization, or recognition of the state of Israel.
President Aoun also stressed that the talks are nothing but technical, pushing away any ideas that Lebanon will be making any deal with its long-time enemy Israel.
