Israel, U.A.E. Agree to Establish Formal Diplomatic Ties

Israel and the United Arab Emirates moved Thursday to create formal diplomatic ties immediately after Israel agreed to suspend a program to annex sections of the occupied West Lender, in a spectacular U.S.-backed change that signaled Israel’s warming ties with Gulf Arab states.

“The historic diplomatic breakthrough will progress peace in the Middle East region,” claimed a joint assertion from Israel, the U.S. and the U.A.E. that praised “the courage of the United Arab Emirates and Israel to chart a new path that will unlock the good prospective in…