Israel and UAE flag
Israel and UAE flagiStock

The leadership of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America (Orthodox Union) on Thursday welcomed US President Donald Trump’s announcement of an agreement between the State of Israel and the United Arab Emirates to establish “full normalization of relations."

“Today at the White House, President Trump announced an agreement between leaders of the State of Israel and the United Arab Emirates for the full normalization of relations between these two countries. The leadership of the Orthodox Union welcomes this historic announcement. The long overdue normalization of relations between Israel and Arab states is important not only for the security and stability of Israel, but for the people of the Mideast region at large. Today’s announcement is a significant step toward isolating regimes and forces of extremism in the region,” said the OU in a statement.

"The Orthodox Union appreciates the determined leadership exerted by President Trump and his key aides—including Secretary Pompeo, Secretary Mnuchin, Ambassador Friedman, and the Hons. Jared Kushner, Robert O’Brien, Brian Hook, Avi Berkowitz and other officials—to forge and facilitate this historic agreement.”

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu earlier on Thursday formally announced the peace deal reached between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, calling the agreement a “historic” achievement for the Middle East.