UAE and Israel defence ministers agree to promote 'shared security interests'
The defence ministers of the United Arab Emirates and of Israel vowed on Tuesday to establish "solid bilateral relations" and increase communication, days after the two countries controversially decided to normalise ties.
In a telephone call, UAE Minister of State for Defence Affairs Mohammed al-Bawardi and Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz said they were "looking forward to strengthening communication channels", UAE state news agency WAM reported.
Gantz's office said in a statement that the two countries would "share important security interests", adding "collaboration will strengthen regional security".
Gantz told Bawardi that he was looking forward to a meeting between the two in Israel or in the Emirates the moment it would be possible. The two also agreed to keep an open line of communication between them.
While Emirati officials have hailed the agreement as a successful push to save the two-state solution by staving off annexation, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly stressed that he remains "committed to annexing parts of the West Bank".
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The Palestinians, who argue that ties with Israel are only possible once Israel ends its occupation of Palestine, have said normalisation will kill the two-state solution, strengthen "extremists" and undermine the "possibility of peace".
Tensions between the two countries have risen in the immediate aftermath of the deal, with the UAE seeking to purchase F-35 fighter jets from the US, which Israel has reportedly been opposed to.
On Monday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reassured Israel that it would retain a military advantage in the region under any future arms deals.
His comments came as an Axios news report claimed that the UAE cancelled a ceremonial meeting that was set to take place in Washington last Friday due to Netanyahu's opposition to the F-35 sales.
Anwar Gargash, a top Emirati diplomat, previously told the Atlantic Council that acquiring the F-35s was a "legitimate" defence concern for Abu Dhabi.
Pompeo is currently visiting Israel in a broader trip to countries in the Middle East. An Emirati official told the Israel Hayom newspaper on Tuesday that Pompeo's visit to the region was part of an effort to lay the foundation for a Middle East peace conference in the coming weeks.
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