On August 13, 2020, the United Arab Emirates and the State of Israel announced the establishment of relations under the historic Abraham Accords Peace Agreement with the United States.
The Abraham Accords were signed in an official ceremony in Washington, DC on September 15, 2020, by HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Abraham Accords represent a starting point for a new and achievable vision for the future of the Middle East. The Arab people, and Arab youth in particular, are eager for a stable, functioning, and prosperous region.
In the UAE, we have built a diverse, tolerant and future-oriented society, a world-class hub for innovation, culture, and business. Arab youth have enormous capabilities and great potential to bring prosperity and peace to the Arab world, and the Accords contribute to sharing this vision across the Middle East.
The UAE believes that the Accords are a first significant step towards an era of security and stability. The relationship with Israel on regional issues represents great potential on the diplomatic, scientific, cultural, and economic fronts.
A process of direct bilateral relations with Israel will naturally take many gradual stages. However, efforts to realize the potential of the Accords are moving rapidly. Shortly after the signing of the Accords, the UAE and Israel began collaborating closely to expand and intensify research and treatment on COVID-19, and working groups are making progress on a range of bilateral cooperative initiatives across key sectors.
These sectors include logistics, air links, tourism, cultural exchange, education, medical, scientific research, and telecommunications.
Through these agreements, the UAE and Israel are working to foster global efforts to strengthen peace, security, and prosperity in the Middle East and beyond.