Israel and the UAE said they had agreed on the terms of a free trade agreement to boost commercial relations following their normalization of ties. Israel described as “historic” the deal abolishing customs duties on “95 percent of the products” exchanged between the Jewish state and Gulf Arab country. The 2020 normalization deal reached between the two countries was one of a series of US-brokered agreements known as the Abraham Accords, and trade between them last year totaled some $900 million. The good relations forged between our two countries are strengthened today by this free trade agreement, which will significantly improve economic cooperation for the benefit of the citizens of both countries.
This milestone deal will build on the historic Abraham Accords and cement one of the world’s most important and promising emerging trading relationships. Israel this week hosted a summit of top diplomats from the United States and three Arab states — the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco — with which it has normalized ties since 2020. Sudan also agreed to normalize ties with Israel, although it has yet to finalize a deal.