The signing ceremony is expected to take place on the White House’s South Lawn, and 1,000 people were invited. Among the invitees are casino magnate and supporter of Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump Sheldon Adelson and Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs Director Dore Gold, who as director-general of the Foreign Ministry opened an Israeli mission to the International Renewable Energy Agency in Abu Dhabi. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto will be the only EU diplomatic leader to attend the signing ceremony.
Israel has sought to have its delegation stand at a distance from the rest, so that members will not have to be quarantined due to coronavirus restrictions upon its return to Israel.
Netanyahu is expected to meet with Trump in the Oval Office before the signing, and their wives will have a separate meeting, as well.
Much of the specific areas of cooperation between Israel and the UAE that Israeli officials discussed with their Emirati counterparts Abu Dhabi, led by National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat two weeks ago, are still under negotiation and will not be in the agreement on Tuesday.
The peace treaty with the UAE will have to be brought to a vote in the cabinet and then the Knesset after Netanyahu signs it, which is the same process as past peace agreements. The treaty will say that it only goes into effect after the cabinet’s authorization.
The UAE and Bahrain will the the third and fourth Arab countries to make peace with Israel.
As for the Palestinians, the source in the prime minister’s delegation said “the diplomatic fruits will come later.”
He would not specify if suspending Israeli extension of sovereignty to parts of Judea and Samaria or freezing Israeli construction in those areas would be part of the agreement.
Meretz leader Nitzan Horowitz said in the Knesset that he heard from “authorized sources” that Israel agreed to freeze construction in the settlements as part of the peace agreements.
A source on the delegation retorted that “Horowitz’s sources as a politician are worse than when he was a journalist.”
UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem Al Hashimy told CNN that the “historic” deal with Israel “is an indication that we are keen on a new narrative of hope and prosperity where you have dialogue and debate.”
As it moves forward with the deal, the UAE is keeping “the Palestinian cause front and center,” including “their right to statehood and their right for a dignified life,” she said.
Israel’s agreement for “the suspension of annexation is an important component here,” she said.
The UAE believes that with its focus on religious tolerance and coexistence between Muslims, Christians and Jews, it has an important role to play in shaping the dialogue in the Middle East, Al Hashimy explained.
“We have a different kind of vision for the Arab world and a different kind of vision fro the Middle East, which is a region of primarily young people who do not want to cary the baggage of the past and want to forge a new future,” she said.
This future would focus on science, innovation, prosperity trade and investments, Al Hashimy said. The UAE wants to advance cooperation with Israel particularly in research areas regarding COVID-19 and artificial intelligence, she added.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz spoke with his Bahraini counterpart Lieutenant-General Abdulla bin Hassan Al-Nuaimi and discussed the importance of the accords and normalization with Israel to regional stability, and opportunities for a close defense partnership.
Gantz offered to host al-Nuaimi on an official visit to Israel.
Regional Cooperation Minister Ofir Akunis spoke with the Bahrain Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism Zayed Bin Rashid al-Zayani about joint cooperation between the two countries and agreed to a face-to-face meeting in the future.
The Israeli and Bahraini ministers said they would seek to advance the principle of "peace to prosperity" between the two countries, echoing a Trump administration slogan about the Middle East, and spoke of their hope that continued normalization efforts in the region would benefit all citizens.
Regional Cooperation Minister Tzachi Hanegbi told Army Radio that Bahrain chose to normalize ties with Israel now because “they very much like President Trump [and] don’t know what will happen on November 3 [presidential election]. They worry a Democratic regime will again arise that will abandon them to [Iran].”
The source in the prime minister’s delegation waved off Hanegbi’s comments, pointing out that ties between Israel and Gulf States have been warming for years.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid tweeted that “Minister Hanegbi doesn’t represent the opinion of the State of Israel about Joe Biden or the Democratic Party. I’m sure Prime Minister Netanyahu will clarify and condemn this careless and damaging statement.”
Netanyahu does not have any meetings planned with Biden, who is based in Delaware, during this visit. The prime minister is staying at Blair House, the White House guest house, and does not plan to leave except for when he goes to the White House, due to coronavirus-related restrictions.
Hanegbi also addressed the impact of coronavirus on the trip, asked whether Netanyahu should have postponed it due to the pandemic and Israel going into a second lockdown on Friday.
“No way,” he responded. “War and peace are hard to postpone. There are moments which you embrace, lest you be left with regrets.”