JERUSALEM 

The head of Israeli spy agency Mossad arrived in the UAE on Monday to hold talks on the normalization agreement between the two countries, according to Israeli media.

According to the daily Yedioth Ahronoth, Yossi Cohen arrived in Abu Dhabi as part of the normalization process between the UAE and Israel and ahead of the signing ceremony, expected to take place in the coming weeks or months.

Last week, US President Donald Trump announced a deal between Israel and the UAE to normalize their relations.

The UAE is the first Gulf state and third Arab nation to have full diplomatic relations with Israel after Egypt and Jordan.

Despite reports that the deal halted Israel’s controversial plan to annex parts of the West Bank, Netanyahu confirmed his government’s continued commitment to the annexation plan.

Palestinian groups denounced the deal, saying it does nothing to serve the Palestinian cause and ignores the rights of Palestinians.

*Bassel Barakat contributed to this report from Ankara