The ruler of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has ruled out an economic boycott against Israel, allowing trade and financial deals between the countries in another key step towards normal ties.
The agreement negotiated by the United States to open relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates was announced on August 13. It demanded that Israel stop its controversial plan to annex the occupied lands of the West Bank sought by the Palestinians.
The UAE’s state-run WAM news agency said the move that formally ended the boycott was taken on the orders of the UAE leader, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the ruler of Abu Dhabi.
WAM said the new decree allows Israelis and Israeli companies to do business in the United Arab Emirates, a federation of seven sheikhs on the Arabian Peninsula. It also allows the purchase and trade of Israeli products.
“The decree of the new law is part of the UAE’s efforts to expand diplomatic and trade cooperation with Israel,” WAM said.
It establishes “a roadmap towards the launch of a joint cooperation that leads to bilateral relations stimulating economic growth and promoting technological innovation”.
On Monday, the first direct commercial flight of Israel’s flagship airline, El Al, is expected in Abu Dhabi, with US and Israeli officials, including President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Saturday’s announcement formally removes a 1972 law from the UAE’s books, right after the formation of the Emirates.
That law reflected the widely held position by Arab nations at the time that recognition of Israel would only come after the Palestinians had an independent state of their own.
The agreement between the UAE and Israel was criticized by Palestinian groups after it was announced, with the groups saying that it does nothing to serve the Palestinian cause and ignores the rights of the Palestinian people.
Hamas, the group that controls the Gaza Strip, condemned the deal, saying it was a “treacherous stab in the back.”
“This agreement does not serve the Palestinian cause at all, rather it serves the Zionist narrative. This agreement encourages the occupation. [Israel] to continue denying the rights of our Palestinian people, and even to continue their crimes against our people, “Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said in a statement.
The Fatah movement said the United Arab Emirates is “flouting its national, religious and humanitarian duties” towards the Palestinian cause.
“Israel was rewarded for not declaring openly what it has been doing to Palestine illegally and persistently since the beginning of the occupation,” said Hanan Ashrwai, a member of the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
The United Arab Emirates is becoming the third Arab nation after Egypt and Jordan to currently have diplomatic relations with Israel.
In recent years, the UAE has held quiet talks with Israel and allowed Israelis with second passports to enter the country for trade and talks.
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