UAE’s Mohamed bin Zayed, Israeli PM Netanyahu examine ‘prospects for peace’ in region

Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu examined “prospects for peace” in the region during a phone call, and discussed bilateral cooperation.

“We discussed strengthening bilateral ties and examined prospects for peace and the need for stability, cooperation and development in the region,” the Crown Prince said in a statement on Twitter on Monday.

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Netanyahu said in a tweet Monday that he invited Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince to Israel, and the Crown Prince extended a reciprocal invitation to Abu Dhabi.

In August, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin invited the Crown Prince to Jerusalem shortly after the announcement of peace between their two countries.

Israel’s cabinet officially approved the normalization agreement with the UAE on Monday, Netanyahu said.

“The government today unanimously approved the historic peace agreements between Israel and the United Arab Emirates,” the Israeli prime minister said in a tweet.

In the phone call, Netanyahu and the Crown Prince also expressed their appreciation for the vital role played by the US and President Donald Trump in reaching a peace accord, according to state news agency WAM.

The discussion came hours after the Crown Prince spoke with President Trump over the phone on Sunday.

Trump called on the Crown Prince “to seize this opportunity to urge leaders of other Middle East countries to follow the same path toward advancing peace and prosperity in the region.”

The American president also thanked the Crown Prince for leading the Abraham Accords, the landmark normalization agreements between Israel, the UAE, and Bahrain, which were signed at the White House last month.

President Donald Trump, center, with from left, Bahrain Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan on the South Lawn of the White House, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020, in Washington. (AP)

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