Israelis Welcome Abraham Accord, Hope Other Arab Countries Get on the 'Peace Train'

JERUSALEM, Israel –  Israelis welcomed the historic peace deals signed at the White House on Tuesday with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

The flags of the United States, Israel, UAE and Bahrain were projected on Jerusalem’s Old City walls as leaders in Washington signed the deals.

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin thanked the Gulf State leaders for their courage and invited them to Jerusalem.

“I hope that many more Arab and Muslim countries follow your lead and that we see a new era of peace among nations, P2P, People to People, Peace to Peace. I hope as well that this spirit of cooperation will help us build a future of trust with our Palestinian neighbors,” Rivlin said during a reception for diplomats.

Palestinians in Gaza acknowledged the peace accord a different way.

During a speech by the UAE’s foreign minister, rockets fired from Gaza rained down on the southern Israeli cities of Ashkelon and Ashdod. One rocket fell in the commercial center of Ashdod wounding two Israelis.

Overnight, terrorists launched another 13 rockets at Israel. Eight were intercepted by Iron Dome. In response, IDF jets hit Hamas military targets in Gaza.

Hamas said the peace deal was “working against national Arab security and fueling disagreements in the region."

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Meanwhile, Israelis at Jerusalem’s open-air Mahane Yehuda market told CBN News they were both cautious and excited about the deal.

“It’s very good that Arabs and Jewish, everybody, Muslim, everybody connected and try to make this world a better place,” said Jerusalem resident Benny Glove.

“As long as they don’t demand from us to stop building the settlements. This is my fear that they will pressure the prime minister to make all kinds of concessions with settlements and then [they] would be, in my opinion, worthless agreements,” said David Harrons, who also lives in Jerusalem.

One Israeli said she hopes the agreement will help boost the Israeli economy, which has taken a huge hit from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many said they wanted to visit the Gulf States and looked forward to good things ahead.

“As Israelis, we’ll be able to fly to Dubai without having to use a second passport. And more importantly, I think, just the general sense that peace is inevitable in the region and that everyone who is interested in advancing their countries and their societies, need to get on the peace train,” said resident David Avitbol.