UAE announces normalisation of diplomatic ties with Israel under deal brokered by Trump
Dubai/Washington: The UAE and Israel on Thursday agreed to establish full diplomatic relations in a deal brokered by US President Donald Trump, a breakthrough the three nations say will advance peace in the Middle East and result in Jerusalem suspending its plans to annex large parts of the occupied West Bank.
"This historic diplomatic breakthrough will advance peace in the Middle East region," according to a joint statement tweeted by Trump.
"After 49 years, Israel and the United Arab Emirates will fully normalise their diplomatic relations," Trump said from the Oval Office.
"They will exchange embassies and ambassadors and begin cooperation across the board and on a broad range of areas including tourism, education, healthcare, trade and security," Trump said.
"Now that the ice has been broken, I expect more Arab and Muslim countries will follow the United Arab Emirates' lead," he added.
Under the deal, Israel would suspend its plans to annex large parts of the occupied West Bank. The UAE's official news agency Wam on Thursday shared a joint statement from the United States, Israel and the UAE.
The statement said that President Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, spoke on Thursday and agreed to the full normalisation of relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.
This historic diplomatic breakthrough will advance peace in the Middle East region and is a testament to the bold diplomacy and vision of the three leaders and the courage of the United Arab Emirates and Israel to chart a new path that will unlock the great potential in the region. All three countries face many common challenges and will mutually benefit from today's historic achievement, the statement said.
According to the statement, delegations from Israel and the UAE will meet in the coming weeks to sign bilateral agreements regarding investment, tourism, direct flights, security, telecommunications, technology, energy, healthcare, culture, the environment, the establishment of reciprocal embassies, and other areas of mutual benefit.
Opening direct ties between two of the Middle East's most dynamic societies and advanced economies will transform the region by spurring economic growth, enhancing technological innovation, and forging closer people-to-people relations, the statement said.
The statement also said that, as a result of this diplomatic breakthrough and at the request of President Trump with the support of the UAE, Israel will suspend declaring sovereignty over areas outlined in the President's Vision for Peace and focus its efforts now on expanding ties with other countries in the Arab and Muslim world.
Netanyahu had previously planned to annex parts of the Israeli occupied West Bank, viewing the White House's plan released in January as an opportunity to extend Israeli sovereignty to parts of the disputed territory.
In recent months, UAE officials have been vocal in warning Netanyahu against plans to annex much of the West Bank and Jordan valley.
UN, Arab and European officials warned that the move would effectively end any hope of a two-state solution with an independent Palestine that has East Jerusalem as its capital.
On June 12, UAE Minister of State and Ambassador to the US Yousef Al Otaiba wrote a letter to the Israeli people in Hebrew published in Israel's largest daily Yedioth Ahronoth, warning Israel that annexation would be a major impediment to Israel's hope of establishing ties with the Arab world.
Prime Minister Netanyahu tweeted on Thursday that it was "a historic day."
The UAE and Israel will also immediately expand cooperation on the treatment of and the development of a vaccine for the coronavirus.
Working together, these efforts will help save Muslim, Jewish, and Christian lives throughout the region.
There has been speculation about the normalisation of ties since the UAE attended the January 28, 2020, White House reception during which President Trump presented his Vision for Peace, and expressed appreciation for the UAE's related supportive statements.
The parties will continue their efforts in this regard to achieve a just, comprehensive and enduring resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the statement said.
"As set forth in the Vision for Peace, all Muslims who come in peace may visit and pray at the Al Aqsa Mosque, and Jerusalem's other holy sites should remain open for peaceful worshippers of all faiths, said the statement.
Opening direct ties between two of the Middle East's most dynamic societies and advanced economies will transform the region by spurring economic growth, enhancing technological innovation, and forging closer people-to-people relations, it said.
Describing it as a historic day, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that it is a significant step forward for peace in the Middle East.
The US hopes that this brave step will be the first in a series of agreements that ends 72 years of hostilities in the region, Pompeo said.
The announcement makes the UAE the first Gulf Arab state to do so and only the third Arab nation to have active diplomatic ties to Israel. Egypt signed a deal in 1979, and Jordan in 1994.
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Ajit Pawar death: ‘Zero FIR’ registered in Bengaluru
Bengaluru (PTI): The Bengaluru police have registered a case related to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s death in a plane crash in Baramati on a complaint by his nephew Rohit Pawar, who has alleged that the tragedy was a result of a "larger criminal conspiracy” to eliminate his uncle.
Pawar was killed on January 28 when a Bombardier Learjet 45 aircraft, operated by VSR Ventures Private Limited, crashed near Baramati Airport, Pune, Maharashtra.
The aircraft was on a flight from Mumbai to Baramati and was carrying Ajit Pawar and four others on board, who were all killed in the crash.
Based on the complaint, the High Grounds police registered ‘Zero FIR’, which can be registered at any police station, irrespective of where the offence was committed.
“We have registered a zero FIR and transferred it to the Maharashtra police for investigation,” a senior police officer told PTI.
Rohit Pawar said he had previously approached Marine Drive Police Station on February 25 and Baramati Police Station on February 26 without an FIR being registered, “and was subsequently informed by Pune CID that they were examining only the Accidental Death Report angle”.
“The complainant contends that the incident was a result of a larger criminal conspiracy aimed at eliminating the Deputy Chief Minister,” the complaint read.
Rohit claimed that there were “systematic violations” of aviation safety regulations, deliberate falsification of records, gross negligence in maintenance and operations, and a pattern of conduct which led to the incident.
According to him, on February 24, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in its safety audit report “declared and admitted” that aircraft of the VSR Company were “negligent, not airworthy” and therefore were grounded as part of the DGCA investigation in the crash of the charter plane.
He alleged that the aircraft VT-SSK was being operated in systematic violation of mandatory safety standards.
At the time of the crash, the aircraft had accumulated approximately 4,915 flight hours, leaving only about 85 hours before the mandatory engine Time Before Overhaul ('TBO') threshold of 5,000 hours was reached, he charged.
“Despite operating dangerously close to this limit, VSR continued to deploy the aircraft for commercial operations, placing the crew and passengers at heightened risk of mechanical malfunction,” said Rohit Pawar.
He suspected that the aircraft may have infact accumulated flight hours in excess of 8,000 hours, far beyond its certified safe operational limits.
“This deliberate suppression and misrepresentation of flight data amounts to falsification of statutory maintenance records and constitutes a serious violation of aviation safety regulations as enumerated in the complaint,” Rohit Pawar said.
He charged that “this pattern of falsification” allowed continued commercial operation of a fundamentally unsafe aircraft.
“The DGCA's certification records for aircraft VT-SSK disclose procedurally anomalous and potentially fabricated documentation. The Airworthiness Certificate for the aircraft was issued on December 16, 2021, while the Aircraft Registration Certificate was only issued on 27th December 2022, a full year later.”
Standard aviation procedure requires that registration precede airworthiness certification.
“This reversal of prescribed sequence suggests either gross administrative failure or deliberate manipulation of records at the DGCA level,” Rohit said.
He also alleged that the Chief Pilot Sumit Kapoor, who commanded the aircraft on the day of the crash, had a documented history of alcohol-related violations, leading to a three-year suspension of his flying privileges by the DGCA.
“The original crew scheduled for the flight, Captain Sahil Madan and Co-pilot Yash, were last-minute replaced by Kapoor and Co-pilot Shambhavi Pathak, purportedly because the original crew was 'stuck in traffic' at 6.30 am. This explanation is implausible given the time of day,” Rohit stated.
Rohit said Ajit Pawar had originally planned to travel to Pune by road on the evening of January 27 with a full motorcade arranged.
“He remained in Mumbai without disclosed reason. The flight itself was delayed by seventy minutes from its original 7 am departure, with no credible explanation provided. The crew initially requested the safer Runway 29 and then, two minutes later, switched to Runway 11, the more dangerous tabletop runway without any apparent operational justification,” Rohit alleged.
In the final recorded seconds of the flight, co-pilot Shambhavi Pathak said something while Kapoor was entirely silent.
This complete absence of response from the commanding pilot in a life-threatening emergency is consistent with either incapacitation due to alcohol or deliberate inaction.
