UAE, Israel to sign peace treaty on September 15

The UAE and Israel will sign their historic peace deal known as the Abraham Accord in Washington D.C., on September 15, a senior White House official said on Tuesday.

As part of the deal, announced at the White House on August 13 following what officials said were 18 months of talks, the UAE agreed to normal relations with Israel, while Israel agreed to continue with plans to suspend its annexation of the West Bank.

Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, tweeted on Tuesday night: "I am proud to go to Washington next week, at the invitation of President Trump, and to attend the historic White House ceremony to establish the peace agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates!"

??? ??? ???? ????? ??? ??????????, ?????? ????? ?????, ??????? ???? ???????? ???? ???? ?????? ???? ????? ??? ????? ?????? ?????????!

- Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) September 8, 2020

Meanwhile, the head of Israel's largest bank on Tuesday led a delegation of businesspeople on the first Israeli economy-focused visit to the UAE.

The US-brokered deal between the UAE and the Jewish state was announced on August 13, with a group of Israeli officials landing in Abu Dhabi two weeks later to discuss cooperation in a variety of fields.

Tuesday's visit, led by Bank Hapoalim CEO Dov Kotler, included a small group of businesspeople from fields including high-tech, financial technology and industry.

Kotler described the visit as "the first, ground-breaking step, with great expectations ahead".

"We believe that direct and discreet communication with heads of the banking systems and economic figures can enable direct business," he said before boarding the private jet carrying the delegation to Dubai.

He added that in light of the global economic downturn due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, the delegation was looking for "new growth engines".

The two-day trip is set to include meetings with bankers and businesspeople first in Dubai, then in Abu Dhabi, a Hapoalim spokeswoman said.

A separate Israeli business delegation led by the heads of Bank Leumi, Israel's other major commercial bank, is due to travel to the UAE on September 14.

A UAE delegation has been invited to visit the Jewish state by the Israeli government, but no date has been set, an official in Jerusalem told AFP.

The normalisation of ties with the UAE is Israel's first with a Gulf nation and only its third with an Arab state.