"Normalising relations with Israel's Arab neighbours has been one of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's major foreign policy goals," says Al Jazeera's Jerusalem correspondent Harry Fawcett.
"The groundwork has been ever more visible in recent years: we've seen his visit to Oman, his meeting with Sudan's de facto leader, and in recent months increasingly close cooperation with the United Arab Emirates, especially on the coronavirus.
"The deal, which has brought the UAE relationship fully into the open, touting diplomatic relations and mutual tourism, among much else, also undercuts what has at least publicly been the Arab states' collective position for nearly two decades: No normalisation without an end to Israeli occupation and agreement on the establishment of a Palestinian state on the 1967 lines."
In this video, Al Jazeera's Jerusalem correspondent Harry Fawcett explains more about the United Arab Emirates' agreement to normalise ties with Israel.
This report was produced and edited by Al Jazeera NewsFeed's Katya Bohdan.
