Israel’s cabinet on Monday voted to approve an agreement to ratify diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates, paving the way for the country’s parliament to formalize the deal.
The U.S. last month facilitated the signing of historic agreements with Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain to normalize their diplomatic relations.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday he has agreed to meet with UAE crown prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan and invited each other to visit their home countries.
“He invited me to visit Abu Dhabi,” Mr. Netanyahu said in a statement. “But first, we will see a UAE delegation here and another one of our delegations will go there.”
The crown prince said in a tweet that the two “discussed strengthening bilateral ties and examined prospects for peace and the need for stability, cooperation and development in the region.”
Under the agreement, the countries agreed to exchange embassies and ambassadors and to cooperate on a broad range of trade, education and health care issues.
Israel also agreed to suspend its annexation of territory in the West Bank for an undisclosed period.
The ratification of the accords is expected to be approved by Israel’s parliament later this week.
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