Israeli parliament formally approves UAE deal

Israel's parliament on Thursday voted overwhelmingly in favor of formally ratifying country's historic agreement rmalizing diplomatic relations with United Arab Emirates.

Israel and UAE anunced US-brokered agreement in August, signing a deal in a White House ceremony last month.

Thursday's approval by 120-seat Knesset, which passed with a 80-13 vote, was largely a formality.

UAE became just third Arab country to establish official ties with Israel, after Egypt and Jordan, and first to do so in 25 years.

Bahrain is also in process of formalizing ties with Israel, and White House has suggested or Arab countries will follow suit.

deals reflect a shift in Middle East, as Arab countries' shared concerns with Israel over Iran outweigh ir tritional support for Palestinians.

Palestinians, who have long relied on unified Arab support to boost m against Israel, condemned deal and accused UAE of stabbing m in back.

Joint List, main Arab-dominated faction in parliament, cast lone opposing votes Thursday in solidarity with ir Palestinian brethren.