Israel and UAE flags
Israel and UAE flagsiStock

The National Council of Young Israel (NCYI) on Thursday welcomed the announcement by US President Donald Trump that the United States brokered a peace agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

“The National Council of Young Israel commends the Trump administration for the integral role it played in achieving an exchange of Ambassadors and recognition between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. This historic agreement is a seminal moment in the ongoing attempt to achieve a greater degree of stability in the Middle East and a significant step in Israel’s enduring effort to protect its citizens from the existential threats that it faces on a regular basis. Collaboration between Israel and the United Arab Emirates will not only lead to an important economic alliance between the two nations, but it will also lead to a valuable security partnership that can help curb Iran’s toxic efforts to create mayhem in the region,” it said in a statement.

“We understand that Israel has agreed to suspend an extension of sovereignty to parts of Judea and Samaria and we hope that this is merely a temporary suspension of those plans.”

“It is important to note that despite assertions to the contrary by former diplomats and others, the extraordinary and bold steps taken by the Trump administration relative to Israel have not deterred an Arab nation from entering into a peace accord with Israel. Whether it was recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, relocating the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, asserting Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights, declaring that the U.S. State Department does not deem Israeli ‘settlements’ in Judea and Samaria to be in violation of international law, or halting aid to the Palestinian Authority due to its outrageous ‘pay to slay’ program, the demonstrations of support by the United States to its sole democratic ally in the Middle East were in no way an impediment to peace, and they did not prove to be an obstacle to the newly formed alliance between Israel and the United Arab Emirates,” said the Young Israel statement.

“We thank President Trump, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, our good friend and Young Israel member Ambassador David Friedman, and Senior Advisor to the President Jared Kushner, as well as the other individuals who were involved in brokering this agreement, for their incredible efforts, their enduring commitment to Israel, and their understanding of the critical need to form new strategic alliances in the Middle East for the betterment of the entire region, including the state of Israel. In addition, we extend our gratitude to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for having the courage to take a bold step in the pursuit of peace and enhanced cooperation.”