Bahrain king hails UAE's historic peace achievement

Cairo: Bahrain’s King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa has congratulated His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, on the “historic achievement” of reaching an agreement with Israel, saying it will boost regional peacemaking.

“This historic step taken by the UAE towards Israel will contribute to pushing forward and enhancing peace efforts, and opening up prospects for stability in the Middle East in a way serving aspirations of its people for security, progress and prosperity,” the Bahraini king said in a telephone conversation with Sheikh Mohammed.

King Hamad also lauded the agreement reached between the UAE, the US and Israel whereby Israel’s decision to annex the Palestinian lands has been halted, Bahrain’s official news agency BNA reported Saturday. “This is a historic diplomatic achievement preserving the two-state solution and maintaining peace chances between the Palestinian and Israeli sides,” the agency quoted the Bahraini monarch as saying.

King Hamad, moreover, praised the UAE’s honourable stances in defending causes of the Arab and Islamic nations, mainly the Palestinian cause, according to BNA.

For his part, Sheikh Mohammed expressed appreciation for Bahrain’s stances and benevolent efforts in supporting endeavours to establish peace and security in the region, the agency added.

The landmark agreement jointly announced by the UAE, Israel and the US on Thursday include establishing formal diplomatic ties between the UAE and Israel, and stopping Israeli plans to annex further Palestinian territories.