In a Wall Street Journal editorial on Monday, Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan made his country’s case for agreeing to full normalization with Israel calling it “an opportunity for a fresh approach to tackling the region’s challenges.”

“Two weeks ago, the first Israeli commercial flight landed in Abu Dhabi from Tel Aviv. Along with a large delegation of Israeli officials and media, it carried a bigger message, written in 2-foot-high letters in three languages on the side of the El Al aircraft: Peace. Shalom. Salaam.”

“Normalizing ties between the United Arab Emirates and Israel is a historic diplomatic breakthrough and a hopeful sign that progress in the Middle East is possible. Last week came an announcement that Bahrain would also normalize ties with Israel.”

At the signing ceremony in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan said this accord will actually help Arab nations stand with the Palestinian people. The aim is to work toward stability and sustainable development for the Palestinians, he said.

“This accord opened up prospects for a complete peace in the region,” he said.

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