Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday touted the newly announced normalization deal with the United Arab Emirates as a game-changer for the region that could upend the underlying paradigm governing the peace process.
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Speaking a day before Israeli and US officials were to board the first-ever direct official flight from Israel to the UAE to finalize the deal, Netanyahu said the agreement would make regional peace a function of mutual interests between parties rather than a byproduct of relations between Israel and the Palestinians.
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"For far too long, the Palestinians have had a veto on peace, not only between the Palestinians and Israel, but Israel and the Arab states," Netanyahu said. "If we had to wait for the Palestinians, we would have to wait forever. But no longer."
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Netanyahu reiterated his praise of US President Donald Trump's peace plan, unveiled earlier this year, saying it would allow Israel to extend its sovereignty to certain areas in Judea and Samaria without requiring the eviction of settlers. "It is the first realistic vision for peace with the Palestinians," Netanyahu said.
