UAE, Bahrain, Egypt Welcomes Resuming Diplomatic Relations Between Morocco and Israel

The United Arab Emirates welcomed Morocco’s decision to resume diplomatic relations and communications with Israel, crown prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan wrote on Twitter.

“This step, a sovereign move, contributes to strengthening our common quest for stability, prosperity, and just and lasting peace in the region.”

Bahrain King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa praised the Moroccan decision to establish diplomatic relations and official connections with Israel, state news agency BNA reported on Thursday.

The statement also welcomed U.S. recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over the Western Sahara region.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi was the first Arab leader to praise the agreement: “I followed with great interest the important development regarding the agreement between Morocco and Israel to normalize relations between them with American mediation. If this step bears fruit, it would create further stability and cooperation in our region,” Sissi said.

Sissi was also the first leader to praise the United Arab Emirates’ decision to establish open ties with Israel back in August.

A report earlier Thursday said Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is planning a trip to Cairo to meet with him, the first such visit in a decade.

President Donald Trump’s senior adviser Jared Kushner says it is only a matter of time for Saudi Arabia to normalize relations with Israel.

“Israel and Saudi Arabia coming together and having full normalization at this point is an inevitability, but the timeframe, obviously, will come — is something that has to be worked out,” Kushner told reporters.

He says it will require “strong U.S. leadership in the region.”

“If you look at where we’ve come in last six months, the region has essentially gone from a solid to a liquid and it feels like there’s a lot more fluidity,” he added.

There was no joy in Ramallah on Thursday. But there was unity. The Palestinians, whose unity talks have failed repeatedly over the years, they were able to enjoy some unity on Thursday, as they all condemned the Israel-Morocco normalization.

Bassam as-Salhi, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s Executive Committee, condemned the deal.

“Any Arab retreat from the [2002] Arab Peace Initiative, which stipulates that normalization comes only after Israel ends its occupation of Palestinian and Arab lands, is unacceptable,” Salhi said, according to Al Jazeera.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad both condemn Morocco’s decision to normalize ties with Israel, which both terror movements label a “betrayal.”

“We trust that the Moroccan people will utterly refuse this normalization,” said Islamic Jihad.

Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem called the Moroccan decision to normalize “a sin.”

Moroccan King Mohammmed told Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in a phone call on Thursday that Rabat stands by a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a royal court statement said.

The king added that negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians are the only way to reach a final, lasting and comprehensive solution to the conflict.

There was no mention of Abbas’s response to the king’s message.