Israel, UAE sign free trade deal, first with an Arab country

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel and the United Arab Emirates have signed a free trade agreement, the first Israel has concluded with an Arab country. The UAE agreed to normalize relations with Israel in a U.S.-brokered deal in 2020, the first of the so-called Abraham Accords that Israel eventually concluded with four Arab nations. Since then, the two countries have boosted cooperation in a number of economic sectors. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett hailed the agreement on Tuesday, saying it was also the fastest Israel had ever negotiated such an accord. The UAE ambassador to Israel called it “an unprecedented achievement.”