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Israel’s cabinet on Monday voted unanimously to adopt the peace agreement forged with the United Arab Emirates; this, ahead of a full parliamentary debate on Thursday that is expected to culminate with the deal’s formal ratification.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed that over the weekend he had spoken by phone with the UAE’s de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Zayed.
“I invited him [bin Zayed] to visit Israel, and he invited me to visit Abu Dhabi,” Netanyahu said. “But before that, we will see a delegation from the UAE here and another delegation of ours will go there.…
“Arab states want to make peace with us, because they see how we turned Israel into a superpower,” the Israeli premier continued, adding: “They also see how we stand up to Iran, sometimes alone against the whole world. They understand that we can help them in many areas. They see that Israel is not only not a burden and not an enemy, it is a necessary ally.”
The development comes just under one month after a signing ceremony at the White House, which was presided over by US President Donald Trump and attended by Netanyahu along with the foreign ministers of the UAE and Bahrain.
Notably, the “declaration of peace” with Manama was not on the cabinet’s agenda as the text of the pending treaty still needs to be finalized.
The accord with Abu Dhabi is expected to be approved by the Knesset with minimal opposition.
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Israel and Hamas are reportedly close to agreeing to a medium-term cease-fire that will include the transfer of $100 million in Qatari funds to the Palestinian terrorist group in the Gaza Strip. According to media, the coronavirus pandemic has put severe economic pressure on Hamas, which is therefore seeking financial assistance in exchange for a six-month truce.
Mossad chief Yossi Cohen is apparently spearheading the indirect negotiations via Qatari intermediaries.
The matter of filling Hamas’ coffers has become somewhat contentious in Israel, given that the terror organization has for over five years been holding captive two Israeli civilians with psychological conditions who crossed into Gaza on their own accord. Hamas similarly has refused to return to Israel the remains of two soldiers who were killed in the Palestinian enclave during the 2014 war.
The Palestinian Authority is reportedly under extreme pressure from numerous Arab and European countries to resume direct peace talks with Israel. Those nations calling on Ramallah to return to the negotiating table include, among others, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, France, Britain and Germany.
These states are also purportedly pressing PA President Mahmoud Abbas to rescind a declaration in May that all previous agreements signed with Jerusalem are null and void. The Palestinian leader took the step in response to Israel’s now-shelved plans to apply sovereignty to as much as 30 percent of the West Bank in accordance with the Trump Administration’s Middle East peace plan.
According to sources, Western diplomats have warned Abbas that his failure to resume the peace process would result in the erosion of global support for the two-state solution.
The revelation comes after Abbas over the weekend met with World Jewish Congress President Ronald Lauder. Thereafter, a statement released on behalf of Lauder explained that the encounter was “a private visit at Abbas’ invitation, [meant] to discuss a range of issues regarding Palestine and the Middle East.”
The WJC chief has in the past acted as an interlocutor between the Israeli and US governments and various Arab leaders.
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Embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said that his government would be open to peace talks with Israel if areas in the Golan Heights captured by the Jewish state during the 1967 war were first returned to Damascus.
Israel-Syria relations have long been marred by conflict, with the two countries still technically at war for over 50 years. Israel formally annexed parts of the strategic Golan Heights that came under its control in 1981.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army has over the past few years conducted hundreds, if not thousands, of strikes in Syria targeting Iranian military assets. This, with a view to preventing arch-foe Tehran, a close ally of Damascus, from establishing a permanent military foothold so close to the Jewish state’s northern border.
Speculation over Assad’s willingness to enter into peace talks with Israel has intensified in recent months, with observers noting the regime’s silence in the wake of the normalization deals between Jerusalem and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
It is also believed that Assad may be looking for a way to alleviate the impact of crippling economic sanctions imposed on his government due to the ongoing civil war.
An eight-year-old Israeli girl named Inbar likes to cool off in her small backyard pool with her favorite swimming buddy – an 11-foot yellow python named Belle. Together, they live happily on an animal sanctuary in an agricultural community in the southern part of the country.
Belle has been a good companion during the COVID-19 lockdown that has kept schools closed over the past few weeks.
“It helps me pass the time because I really like to hang out with snakes and sometimes I help snakes shed [their skin] and I help them to be happy during coronavirus,” Inbar said.
The Eight-Year-Old Who Likes To Cool Off In Her Backyard Pool…With a Python (Click image below for VIDEO)
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HonestReporting Webinar: How Israel‘s New Peace Deals Are Reshaping the Middle East
Some are condemning the peace deals between Israel and the Gulf States. Learn how to debunk their arguments! After this webinar, you will know how to respond to questions about and criticisms of Israel’s recent establishment of diplomatic relations with two Arab countries.
On Sunday, October 25, join us for a webinar and live Q&A with HonestReporting’s CEO Daniel Pomerantz.
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