Trump Announces Historic Peace Agreement Between Israel and United Arab Emirates

ABOVE: CBN News Middle East Bureau Chief Chris Mitchell appeared on the Thursday afternoon edition of CBN's Newswatch to discuss the historic peace deal. Newswatch is seen weekdays on the CBN News Channel. 

JERUSALEM, Israel - President Donald Trump announced Thursday that Israel and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to a historic peace deal. The UAE is the third Arab country to normalize ties with Israel after Jordan and Egypt. 

The agreement creates full diplomatic ties between Israel and the UAE, including an exchange of embassies and ambassadors. Israeli and UAE leaders will sign bilateral agreements in the coming days solidifying their commitment to collaborating on security, tourism, healthcare, energy, and telecommunications issues. The peace deal will also lead to direct flights between the two countries. 

“Opening direct ties between two of the Middle East's most dynamic societies and advanced economics will transform the region by spurring economic growth, enhancing technological innovation and forging closer people-to-people relations,” a joint statement issued from President Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said. 

Trump announced the deal on Twitter, calling it a "HUGE" breakthrough. 

Netanyahu retweeted Trump's message, calling it a "Historic Day."

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo described the move as “a significant step forward for peace in the Middle East.” 

“The United States hopes that this brave step will be the first in a series of agreements that ends 72 years of hostilities in the region,” Pompeo said.

The last time Israel signed a peace treaty with a major Arab state was in 1994 between Israel and Jordan. 

Trump suggested that more diplomatic breakthroughs between Israel and other Muslim countries were expected.  

“Things are happening that I can’t talk about,” he told reporters.

Palestinian leaders are not happy about the Israeli-UAE deal.

In exchange for normalizing ties with the UAE, Israel will halt plans to annex up to 30% of the biblical lands of Judea and Samaria - also known as the West Bank.  

“As a result of this diplomatic breakthrough and at the request of President Trump with the support of the United Arab Emirates, Israel will suspend declaring sovereignty over areas outlined in the President Vision for Peace and focus its efforts now on expanding ties with other countries in the Arab and Muslim World,” the joint statement between Trump, Netanyahu, and Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Israeli officials said the freeze on plans to annex the West Bank was only temporary.

“Israel remains committed to annexing parts of the West Bank,” a senior Israeli official said, according to the Times of Israel. “The Trump administration asked to temporarily suspend the announcement [of applying sovereignty] in order to first implement the historic peace agreement with the UAE.”