White House hosts Israel-UAE- Bahrain deal signing

By Nathan Morley

The agreements signed at the White House on Monday formalize the normalization of Israel's relations with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

Now the countries will exchange embassies and ambassadors and to cooperate on a broad array of issues, including banking, education, trade and health issues.

Mr Trump said it was an incredible day for the world: “Today, the world sees that they are choosing cooperation over conflict, friendship over enmity, prosperity over poverty and hope over despair," Trump said. "They are choosing a future in which Arabs and Israelis, Muslims, Jews and Christians can live together, pray together and dream together, side by side, in harmony, community and peace."

Speaking at the signing, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heralded “a new dawn of peace.”

Meanwhile, following the signing of normalization deals, there was a fresh round of violence between Palestinian militants in Gaza and Israel.

According to Israel Radio, militants fired two rockets into Israel on Tuesday night. One hit the coastal city of Ashdod, wounding two men.

In response, the Israeli military bombed sites in Gaza including a weapons factory, and a military compound used for rocket launching experiments by Hamas.

Leaders in the Palestinian territories accuse U.S. President Donald Trump of being biased in favour of Israel, and condemned the deals.