DUBAI: Israeli President Isaac Herzog arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday on the first such visit, seeking to strengthen Gulf ties at a time of heightened regional tension as world powers try to revive a nuclear deal with Iran.
The president was greeted on arrival in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi by Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. “I will be meeting the leadership of the United Arab Emirates, at the personal invitation of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, the Crown Prince,” Herzog said earlier.
“I wish him well and I am grateful for his courage and bold leadership, carving out a peace agreement with Israel and sending a message to the entire region that peace is the only alternative for the peoples of the region.”
En route to the UAE President Herzog’s plan flew over Saudi Arabia, which he said was “truly a very moving moment”. Riyadh and Israel do not have diplomatic ties, but Israel has said it would like to establish a relationship with the kingdom. The presidency in Israel is a largely ceremonial post. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett visited the UAE in December.
UAE’s ambassador, Mohammed Al Khaja, said on Saturday that Herzog’s visit will enhance relations between the two countries. Herzog joined Al Khaja in the UAE embassy opening in Tel Aviv in July of last year.
President Herzog will also be meeting Jewish communities in the UAE, which is the region’s commercial and tourism hub. Earlier this month, Israel offered security and intelligence support to the UAE against further drone attacks after a deadly strike by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group.
The UAE, along with Bahrain, signed US-brokered normalisation agreements with Israel, dubbed the “Abraham Accords”, in 2020. The two Gulf states and Israel share common concerns about Iran and its allied forces in the region.
