The Israeli delegation headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu departed for Washington on Sunday night, ahead of Tuesday's peace treaty signing with the United Arab Emirates at the White House.
Mossad chief Yossi Cohen told Israel Hayom prior to boarding the El Al plane: "This is a very exciting trip; it's a very exciting event. Many good people worked on this story for many years – it didn't start yesterday. I very much hope to see more positive efforts on behalf of peace and carry this forward to other countries."
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Cohen declined to answer a direct question on the prospect of normalizing diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia.
Earlier Sunday, at a press conference in which he also announced a new countrywide lockdown to stop the spread of the coronavirus, Netanyahu said: "Tonight, on behalf of the citizens of Israel, I am embarking on a historic mission – to meet with the US president [Donald Trump] and representatives of the United Arab Emirates. I am going [to the US] to bring peace in exchange for peace, peace in exchange for might. Two treaties in one month [the other with Bahrain]. This is a new era of peace, for which I've worked for 25 years. These agreements will be a fusion of diplomatic and economic peace, and bring in billions of dollars to the Israeli economy. That's always a good thing, but it's especially good during the corona pandemic."
"There will be brisk traffic in direct air links between the countries," the prime minister added, alluding to the recent announcement by Israeli carrier Israir that it is planning to launch Tel Aviv-Dubai flights beginning in October. "The great excitement that exists in the country is also reflected in the very great excitement in Bahrain and the UAE among the public at large. There truly is a great change here."
At the signing ceremony in Washington on Tuesday, the UAE and Bahrain will be represented by foreign ministers Abdullah bin Zayed and Abdullatif Al Zayani respectively.
Meanwhile, according to state media reports from Oman, Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said on Sunday praised the peace treaty between Israel and Bahrain.
#BREAKING : Sultanate of Oman 🇴🇲 welcomes Bahrain's 🇧🇭 decision to normalize relations with State of Israel 🇮🇱 - Oman TV
— حسن سجواني 🇦🇪 Hassan Sajwani (@HSajwanization) September 13, 2020
"[Oman] hopes this new strategic path taken by some Arab countries will contribute to bringing about a peace based on an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands and on establishing an independent Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as capital," the Omani government statement said.
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