The historic Peace Accord, signed between the UAE and Israel on September 15 in Washington, paves the way for strengthening security and stability in the Middle East region. World governments have also hailed the peace accord as a historic step that will lead to the revival of the overall peace process in the Middle East. It is also being lauded as a realistic response to the geopolitical changes and security and development challenges being faced by countries across the region. 

On its part, the UAE has emphasised that the signing of the 'Abraham Accord' underlines the sovereignty of the country over its decisions and that there is no bias against any party. The UAE further noted that the peace deal is aimed at differentiating various political stances and normalising relations. It also expressed its belief that the accord will open new opportunities and prospects of stability and prosperity in the region.

In addition, the peace accord will promote the Palestinian Cause, which is potentially the most influential factor in the Middle East's security in terms of political statements. The accord will provide a logical approach to addressing the Palestinian cause while analysing all geopolitical factors of the situation in the region as well as the rest of the world. It is a step ahead towards the goal of reaching a fair and sustainable solution to the Palestinian Cause.

Furthermore, the UAE also underlines that it will remain strong on its stance to support the establishment of a Palestinian state based on the borders of June 4, 1967, and with East Jerusalem as its capital. The UAE's initiative will comply with the Arab Peace Initiative and legitimate international resolutions, asserting that establishing peace with Israel will not affect its efforts and historic support for the Palestinian cause and the rights of the Palestinian people.

Significantly, the UAE is one of the major donors to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) as it donated more than $828.2 million to the organisation between 2013 and 2020. Since 1994, the UAE has provided almost US$2.104 billion worth of financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority, ranking at fourth globally. It has also carried out a number of development and relief projects across in various areas of Palestine.

Hailing a positive role played by Palestine towards the development of the UAE over the past decades, the Emirati leadership also noted that it will always welcome the Palestinian community.

The "Emirati-Palestinian Friendship Club" was also launched at the start of this month with the aim of fostering communication and strengthening overall Emirati-Palestinian relations.

The peace accord is aimed at developing a knowledge-based economy, facilitating the adoption of modernised technology and innovation across all sectors, reinstigating a new system to achieve security and stability, and creating growth prospects and opportunities for the people in the region.

At the same time, both countries have also undertaken various steps to enhance bilateral cooperation in key areas, such as food security, foreign affairs, and medical and health research, particularly amid the fight against Coronavirus.

On September 1, 2020, the UAE received a US-Israeli delegation headed by Jared Kushner, Senior Adviser to President Donald Trump, following which they discussed various ways to boost bilateral cooperation in key areas such as finance, investment, health, foreign policy and diplomatic affairs, civil aviation, and tourism and culture.

WAM