The agreement will include establishing embassies and exchanging ambassadors, investments into the Israeli economy, trade, direct flights between Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi, and cooperation in matters of energy and water. An important element of the deal for the UAE is the expectation that its citizens would be able to visit the Al-Aksa mosque in Jerusalem.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the deal

"full, formal peace" with "one of the strongest countries in the world. Together we can bring a wonderful future. It is an incomparably exciting moment. I have the great privilege to make the third peace treaty between Israel and an Arab country, the UAE."

Trump said in a statement posted to his twitter account:

"Opening direct ties between two of the Middle East's most dynamic societies and advanced economies will transform the region by spurring economic growth, enhancing technological innovation, and forging closer people-to-people relations."

In subsequent remarks in the Oval Office, Trump alluded to "many more countries" in the region normalizing ties with Israel, and "some very exciting things including, ultimately with the Palestinians." Bahrain is likely to be next, to the extent that there was a chance they would have announced normalization before the UAE.

Netanyahu touted a formula of "peace for peace," based on shared interests, emphasizing economic cooperation, and peace that comes from a position of strength, rather than peace in exchange for concessions. However, bin Zayed presented the matter as though he had exacted concessions from Israel, emphasizing the suspension of sovereignty plans over normalization.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fatah a-Sisi similarly called it

"the agreement to stop Israel's annexation of the Palestinian Territories and taking steps to bring Peace to the Middle East."

Netanyahu said that he still plans to apply Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria. He said he "did not and will not remove sovereignty from the agenda... I will never give up on our right to our land."

A senior Likud source remarked that

"the Israeli and international Left always said we can't bring peace with Arab states without peace with the Palestinians, that there is no other way than withdrawing to '67 lines, evacuating settlements, dividing Jerusalem and establishing a Palestinian state. For the first time in history Prime Minister Netanyahu broke the paradigm of 'land for peace' and brought 'peace for peace.'"

Yamina leader Naftali Bennett praised the normalization, saying "relations between the countries are no longer held hostage by Palestinian recalcitrance," but slammed Netanyahu for suspending sovereignty plans.

"It's unfortunate that Netanyahu gave up a once-in-a-century chance to apply sovereignty to the Jordan Valley, Ma'aleh Adumim, Bet El and the rest of Israeli settlements. It is tragic that Netanyahu did not seize the moment and didn't have the courage to apply sovereignty to a centimeter of the Land of Israel, but sovereignty over the parts of our homeland will come from somewhere else."

Joint List MK Mtanes Shihadeh accused the UAE of a

"betrayal... no less than a knife in the back of the Palestinian people and the Arab nations. Netanyahu and Israel never really meant to annex, but in order for him to abandon the plan, the UAE agreed to make its secret relations open. Nothing will change and anyone who thinks the Palestinians will disappear are mistaken."

The Palestinian ambassador to the UAE is being recalled over Abu Dhabi's decision to establish diplomatic ties with Israel, which Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has called "treason."

He has called on the UAE to reverse Thursday's decision, which formalizes years of sub-rosa rapprochement between Israel and the oil-rich state, and urged other Arab nations not to follow its example "at the expense of Palestinian rights."

Hamas, which rules Gaza, also denounced the agreement, calling it a "stabbing in the back of our people. The UAE is using its gravitas and promise of a relationship to unscrew a time bomb that is threatening a two-state solution," Emirati official Anwar Gargash told reporters.

Despite peaceful protests highlighting the fourth day of post-election turmoil, violence has hardly subsided. A video has emerged purporting to show riot police in Minsk opening fire on an apartment block as they chased protesters on the ground. Witnesses report that officers aimed their weapons at the building's windows after residents sought to help the demonstrators to dodge arrest.

As night approached, clashes erupted with sounds of loud bangs, reportedly from concussion grenades, roaring through the city.

"I offer apologies for the injuries of random people who got caught up in the dispersal," Interior Minister Yuri Karayev said in a televised interview on Thursday. He noted that rioters have attacked law enforcement 11 times over the past three days.

The interior minister also said he would prioritize the release of journalists that have been jailed in the roundups of demonstrators.

At least two protesters have died and more than 6,000 people have been arrested in the four days of the unrest. Videos shared online suggest that efforts to disperse the demonstrations have involved SWAT units being set loose on protesters as well as liberal use of rubber bullets, flash-bang grenades and tear gas.

Lukashenko has accused foreign governments - specifically Poland, Czechia and the UK - of fomenting a "color revolution" in Belarus, which Prague and Warsaw have denied.

The march on Friday comes amid a wave of anti-government protests in Belarus. The plant, also known by the abbreviation MTZ, is one of the biggest employers in the Belarus capital, giving jobs to some 15,000 people. A significant part of the staff took to the streets of Minsk chanting "Leave" to incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko and calling on workers from other plants to join them.

More than 2,000 people who were detained during mass protests over the contested presidential elections in Belarus over recent days have been released, the country's Interior Ministry has said.

However, around 4,700 people are still being held by the country's law enforcement.

In the Belarusian capital city of Minsk, the release of protesters began early in the morning, attracting a crowds of supporters to the detention center. The crackdown on protests had triggered widespread allegations of torture behind bars, while some of the detained said they were beaten up by riot police, but not mistreated in detention.

While seemingly downplaying the consequences of the protests, the Belarus government has acknowledged the potential damage that worker discontent may inflict on the country's economy. President Alexander Lukashenko, the main target of the protest, warned that even short strikes at factories will play into the hands of the competition.

"If [workers at potassium producer Belaruskali] go for a two-day strike, the competitors in Russia and Canada will make a cross sign and supply to the market everything they want," the president said during a government meeting on Friday. The plant is among those where protest rallies have been reported.

The Belarusian president reacted to the pressure from the opposition, grimly joking at the meeting that he was "still alive" and had not fled the country, despite the wishes of his critics. He reiterated that the core of the protest consisted of rent-a-mob activists, and that honest wage-earners had better things to do than joining them. Lukashenko touts himself as a leader of the working people, and ensuring their prosperity and losing their support would seriously damage his image.

She appealed to city mayors to "act as organizers" of peaceful demonstrations on Saturday and Sunday.

Tikhanovskaya repeated the claim that the election victory has been stolen from her, citing "copies of polling station protocols" as proof.

"Belarusians will not want to live under the existing authorities ever again. The majority does not believe in [Lukashenko's] victory," she said.

The politician urged her supporters to "defend their vote" by signing an online petition demanding a full recount of the votes with "independent" monitors present, and to launch an official probe into the election.

Tikhanovskaya left for Lithuania after President Alexander Lukashenko was re-elected for a sixth term in office last week. His victory sparked accusations of vote-rigging and triggered protests and clashes with police throughout the country.

The authorities, meanwhile, insist that the vote count was fair. Lukashenko claimed that the protests were being incited from abroad, and vowed not to allow further rioting and escalation.

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