Israel and the United Arab Emirates signed a comprehensive free trade agreement Tuesday morning, the first time the Jewish state has signed such a deal with an Arab country.

Israeli Economy and Industry Minister Orna Barbiva signed the deal with the UAE Minister of Economy Abdulla bin Touq al Marri.

The deal marks the culmination of months of negotiations to hammer out the details of the comprehensive agreement, which will eliminate tariffs on 96% of trade goods and streamlines regulations for trade between the two countries.

Israeli ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Amir Hayek, tweeted Tuesday morning that the deal was “Done”, after earlier writing that the agreement would be signed within the hour.

Tuesday’s agreement is the UAE’s second free trade deal, the first being signed with India in February.

Source: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/328509

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Prime Minister Naftali Bennett focused on Iran in a recorded address to the 5th annual Christian Media Summit on Thursday, saying Tehran was instigating terror that threatened Israel and other countries.

“As the world fights this invisible enemy,” he said, referring to COVID-19, “in Israel, we’re also fighting a very visible enemy — radical militant Islam that is sweeping across the Middle East.”

“The terror that begins in Tehran seeks to destroy Israel, dominate the world and drive it into a dark abyss,” he continued.

Bennett also cited positive developments for Israel, saying it was “facing a new dawn” after forging ties the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain last year.

“This conference commemorates the signing of the Abraham Accords, which have contributed greatly to regional stability, prosperity and peace between Israel and her neighbors,” he said.

He added that Israel is the only place in the Middle East “where the Christian community is growing, thriving and prospering.”

“Today, more than ever, Christians stand united with Israel,” he said. “And today, more than ever, Israel stands united with Christians.”

According to the host Government Press Office, over 150 news executives and opinion leaders in Christian media attended this year’s virtual gathering, which it said is meant to “better understanding and strengthen the friendship between Christians” and Israel.

Former prime minister and opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu lauded the Abraham Accords, which were brokered while he was premier, during his speech to the summit.

He portrayed the peace agreements as a defeat for Palestinian rejectionism, calling it the “first time Israel made peace for peace.”

Netanyahu called this a “novel concept” and “the way of the future.”

“We removed the Palestinian veto,” Netanyahu said. “Palestinians don’t want peace with Israel. The Palestinians don’t want a state next to Israel. They want a state instead of Israel.”

Netanyahu added that Arab countries were also pushed toward Israel because of the specter of a nuclear Iran, which “wants to dominate and conquer all these Arab lands and turn everyone against these forces of moderation and the future.”

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, in his address to the summit, discussed “the important role Christian media plays in connecting Christians everywhere with Israel, and in strengthening the friendship between Christians and Jews around the world.”

He said that Christian Zionists could help expand the “circle of peace” and build upon the Abraham Accords.

“Israel is now entering a new era,” Lapid said. “An era of peace, friendship, and coexistence. An era based on the idea that what unites us is greater than what divides us. An era of peace between countries and between peoples.”

The summit included a session with Arab journalists from Abraham Accords countries, a talk on Black Christian Zionism, and messages from well-known rabbis and authors.

Source: https://www.timesofisrael.com/bennett-to-christian-media-summit-iranian-terror-is-sweeping-the-region/

The post Bennett to Christian Media Summit: Iranian terror is sweeping the region first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Why it matters: Israel wants the agreement to carry the most serious status, demanding the greatest commitment from both parties, Israeli officials explain. Officials also hope the agreement will send a message of long-term stability, rather than a temporary deal.

The state of play: During talks the U.S. and Israel had with Emirati officials in recent weeks, Israel requested that the document be signed in Washington as a “treaty of peace.” Israeli and U.S. officials say the Emiratis agreed.

• The economic protocol, which was signed by Israel and the UAE in Abu Dhabi on Monday and which I obtained a copy of, mentions that it is “in advance of the signing in Washington of a treaty of peace, diplomatic relations and full normalization.”
• Israeli officials say the peace treaty with the UAE must be approved by vote in the Knesset, intended to make the process more consensual. Peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan were also approved by vote in the Knesset and received a significant majority.

What to watch: No date has been set for the signing ceremony in Washington, according to Israeli officials, but the event is expected to take place the week of Sept. 14. The Israeli prime minister’s office has already asked El Al to have a plane ready for departure to Washington, D.C., next Saturday or the day after.

• The U.S. and Israel are continuing talks with other Arab countries — mainly Bahrain and Sudan — in an effort to get them to agree to normalization agreements even before the signing ceremony in Washington, Israeli officials tell me. If they succeed, the ceremony will be even bigger, but Israeli officials say it is unclear whether things will materialize by then.
• The White House plans to invite ambassadors of Arab countries, including those who do not have diplomatic relations with Israel, officials say. In doing so, the White House hopes to show the U.S.-brokered Israel-UAE agreement has broad support in the Arab world.

Go deeper… Scoop: Kushner plans a trip to Middle East to encourage more Gulf states to normalize with Israel

Source: https://www.axios.com/israel-uae-washington-peace-treaty-e077b187-d9f3-42be-98cc-0243fd67674e.html

The post Israel and UAE agreement to be signed in Washington will be designated as “peace treaty” first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

“There are many more unpublicized meetings with Arab and Muslim leaders to normalize relations with the state of Israel,” he said on the eve of Israel’s first commercial flight to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The historic flight follows the August 13 announcement of a US-brokered agreement to normalize relations between the two countries, making the UAE the first Gulf country and only the third Arab state to establish relations with Israel after Egypt and Jordan.

The Monday morning flight will carry a US-Israeli delegation led on the American side by White House advisor Jared Kushner, who stood next to Netanyahu during the Israeli premier’s remarks.

The agreement on normalization of relations between Israel and the UAE is scheduled to be signed in Washington D.C. in September.

Source: https://news.am/eng/news/599508.html

The post Israel holding secret talks with some Arab states, says Netanyahu first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.