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Israeli Prime Minister Meets UAE Crown Prince in Abu Dhabi in Historic Visit

Published

3 years ago

Dec 13, 2021.

Israeli Prime Minister meets UAE Crown Prince in Abu Dhabi in historic visit

EKO HOT BLOG reports that for the first time in history, an Israeli Prime Minister has paid an official visit to the United Arab Emirates.

According to Bennett’s office, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed in his private palace in Abu Dhabi on Monday.

Israeli Prime Minister

Their meeting, which included a shared lunch, lasted two hours longer than the original period scheduled. Bennett later stated that he liked “serious, in-depth, and forthright discussions” regarding “the area, our economy, and technology.”

The occasion symbolizes a symbolic historic shift in ties between the two countries, 15 months after they signed a normalization deal at the White House.

Only a few years ago, Israelis were not even permitted to enter the UAE. At the airport, the Prime Minister was greeted by an official honor guard.

According to WAM, the Emirates’ state-run news agency, the two leaders discussed areas of “bilateral cooperation,” such as “agriculture, food security, renewable energy, advanced technology, health and other vital sectors.”

In a prior interview with WAM, Bennett emphasized the developing commercial links between his country and the UAE.
However, there was no mention of tensions with Iran in the agency’s write-up of the conversation.

According to WAM, the Israeli leader cited cyber security, health, education, and aviation as four areas where the two nations have beneficial trade and investment.

Bennett said in a video message from Abu Dhabi airport as he prepared to leave the Emirates after less than 24 hours on the ground that the two nations’ relationship should “set an example of how we can establish peace in the Middle East.”

In an accompanying statement, the Prime Minister’s Office said that Crown Prince Bin Zayed had accepted an offer to visit Israel, albeit no specific date was given.

The two leaders spent about two and a half hours in a face-to-face meeting, the statement said, adding that, “most of the visit dealt with building the connection and personal acquaintance between the leaders, who spoke openly and emphasized their desire to strengthen peace between the two countries and build economic relations.”

Although neither leader mentioned it by name, Iran is top of mind for both countries, a shared security concern.
Israel’s government sees Iran and its nuclear ambitions as an existential threat, and continues to declare that they are ready to take matters into their own hands to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. They see the Emiratis as an important strategic partner in the face of Iranian aggression.

For the Emiratis, the relationship with their neighbor is more nuanced. Last week, a UAE top security official paid a visit to Tehran, meeting with new Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi, the first such visit by an Emirati official in five years.

A spokesperson for Bennett declined to comment on Israeli media reports that the Prime Minister presented the crown prince with evidence of Iran deploying militias and UAV units, only saying “they discussed a wide variety of issues.”

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