Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan display their copies of signed agreements while US President Donald Trump looks on, at the signing ceremony of the Abraham Accords, at the White House in Washington, DC, Sept. 15, 2020. Photo: Reuters / Tom Brenner.

i24 News – Israel’s cabinet has voted unanimously to approve the historic Israel-UAE peace accord, which will now be sent to the Knesset for ratification.

Following Monday’s cabinet vote, the agreement will head to the Knesset to be approved by the lawmakers on Thursday.

“This is the first peace agreement that Israel has signed in over 25 years,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the ministers at the meeting, adding that talks were also underway with Bahrain after a declaration of intent to formalize the ties was signed last month.

In a statement, the Prime Minister’s Office stressed that the agreement does not see Israel cede any territories and features a major economic component that will “benefit all Israeli citizens.”

It also asserted that the Saudi decision to open its airspace to Israel as part of the normalization process made the Jewish state a major regional transit hub and had vast geopolitical meaning.

Ahead of the government’s vote, Netanyahu spoke with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan over the phone, discussing the accord and the bilateral ties.

The two leaders agreed to meet shortly, the PM’s office said, and Netanyahu told the Crown Prince that Israel was looking forward to hosting a high-profile UAE delegation, which is reportedly set to visit the Jewish state next week.