Egypt's Sisi praises normalisation of Israel-UAE ties

"I read with interest and great appreciation the joint statement between the United States, the brotherly United Arab Emirates and Israel concerning the halt of Israel's annexation of Palestinian land," Sisi said in a tweet, adding that this would help bring "peace" to the Middle East.

Sisi's remarks came after US President Donald Trump's surprise announcement Thursday that the UAE and Israel would normalise ties.

The deal would make the UAE only the third Arab country Israel has diplomatic relations with after Egypt and Jordan.

As part of the deal, Israel has agreed to "suspend" plans to annex Jewish settlements and other areas in the occupied West Bank, according to a joint statement from the US, UAE and Israel tweeted by Trump. 

"I appreciate the efforts of the architects of this agreement for the prosperity and stability of our region," Sisi said.

However, Israel's annexation of large swathes of the Palestinian territory has only been "temporarily" suspended, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netayahu said in a press conference later on Thursday.

In 1979, Egypt and Israel signed the first-ever peace treaty between the Jewish state and an Arab nation, upturning Middle East diplomatic and military relations.

Egypt has long served as a mediator between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas that controls the Gaza Strip.

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