German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Thursday welcomed a deal to normalize relations between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel, praising the suspension of the annexation of the Palestinian territories, which is part of the pact
BERLIN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th August, 2020) German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Thursday welcomed a deal to normalize relations between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel, praising the suspension of the annexation of the Palestinian territories, which is part of the pact.
The bilateral deal was announced on Thursday and an agreement on the mutual establishment of embassies is expected to follow in the coming three weeks. As part of the deal with the UAE, Israel said it would halt its plans to formally annex parts of the West Bank claimed by Palestinians.
"I had a telephone conversation with [Israeli] Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi and congratulated him on this historic step. The normalization of relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates is an important contribution to peace in the region. It is good that the Israeli government has suspended its annexation plans," Maas said, as quoted by the German Foreign Ministry.
According to the minister, Berlin expects the agreement to become a starting point for further positive developments in the region and will give a new impetus to the Middle East peace process.
Maas also recalled the position of Germany, which is that only a two-state solution could put an end to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and supported the resumption of direct Palestinian-Israeli negotiations, promising the EU's support for this process.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised to launch a large-scale annexation of Palestinian territories where Israeli settlements are located in the West Bank in early July, but the plan, which comes in line with US President Donald Trump's peace deal for the Middle East, was eventually postponed. Netanyahu's project has been condemned by members of the United Nations and the European Union.
