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Israelis Welcome, Palestinians Denounce Gulf Deals

Linda Gradstein

   JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's signing Tuesday
   of peace deals with two Arab states -- the United Arab Emirates and
   Bahrain -- in Washington doubles the number of Arab countries that have
   made peace with Israel. In Tel Aviv, the city government building was
   lit up with the word "peace" in Hebrew, English and Arabic. For
   Palestinians, it is a dark day.

   Israelis have warmly welcomed the announcement of peace deals with both
   the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain and the promise of more states to
   follow. Yossi Beilin is a former Israeli official and longtime
   negotiator with the Palestinians.

   "It's a very special day, very important day. One of the ideas out of
   the vision of Zionism was to be part of the Middle East and not to be a
   lonely state in it. It was very, very difficult to demand it but
   gradually it is happening and today it is another important milestone
   in the direction of being a part of this region."

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