UAE-Israel timeline since Abraham Accord signing

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In just over two weeks, the relationship between UAE and Israel has grown at a fast pace since the signing of the Abraham Accord on August 13.

With the US as matchmaker, Israel and the UAE agreed earlier this month to work toward normalisation, which would make the UAE the third Arab nation to have full relations with Israel, after Egypt and Jordan. Unlike those two nations, Israel has never fought a war against the UAE and hopes to have much-warmer relations.

Here is a breakdown of the events of the past 18 days since the agreement was announced.

August 13: US President Donald Trump announces surprise deal to normalise relations between Israel and the UAE, saying he hoped other Gulf countries would follow. UAE officials say the deal puts an end to West Bank annexation.

August 16: Israel and the UAE announced the opening of communications, specifically telephone lines and access to Israeli websites.

August 16: UAE company Apex National Investment signs research agreement on coronavirus with Israel's Tera Group.

August 18: Director of the Mossad intelligence agency Yossi Cohen arrived in the UAE to discuss intelligence and security co-operation in the region with National Security Adviser Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed.  Mr Cohen became the first Israeli official to visit the UAE since the announcement of the deal.

August 28: The UAE and Israel have held discussions over co-operation on food and water security after the agreement of the recent peace accord.

UAE Minister of State for Food Security, Mariam Al Mheiri, and Israel's Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alon Schuster, held an online meeting last Friday, Wam reported.

August 29: President Sheikh Khalifa abolished a decades-old UAE law banning dealings with Israel as part of ongoing efforts to normalise relations between the countries.

The UAE announced the issuing of Federal Decree-Law Number 4 of 2020, abolishing Federal Law Number 15 of 1972. The decision to remove the Israel Boycott Law will allow people and companies in the UAE to enter into agreements with bodies or people living in Israel or belonging to it by nationality as part of commercial or financial operations or dealings of any other nature.


August 31: A US-Israeli delegation led by White House adviser Jared Kushner arrived Monday in Abu Dhabi, on the historic first commercial flight from Tel Aviv to mark the normalisation of ties between Israel and the UAE.