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Naftali Bennett’s office says he will meet Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan on the first official visit by an Israeli prime minister to the UAE.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett will travel to the United Arab Emirates to meet the Gulf state’s de facto ruler, in the first-ever visit to the UAE by an Israeli prime minister.
Bennett will depart for the high-level public visit on Sunday and will meet Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan before returning to Israel, Bennett’s office said.
There was no immediate confirmation from the UAE.
The two countries formalised relations last year as part of a US-brokered agreement known as the Abraham Accords. The agreement has led to a raft of deals ranging from tourism and business to cutting-edge technology.
Bennett is expected to discuss the strengthening of economic and military ties amid the backdrop of struggling nuclear talks with Iran.
Underpinning UAE-Israel ties is a shared concern over Iran’s nuclear reach in the region. Israel says it is determined to prevent Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons, while Tehran insists its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes.
In recent weeks, Israel has fanned out its top diplomats to meet with allies in Europe, the US and the Middle East to push for a firmer approach to Iran.
Bennett’s visit follows a historic trip by Foreign Minister Yair Lapid in June on the occasion of the inauguration of the Israeli embassy in Abu Dhabi.
Lapid’s meeting with the UAE’s foreign minister was the highest-level visit by an Israeli official to the Gulf Arab state since the two countries formally established relations.
Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco have also moved to establish ties with Israel. The regional rapprochement was deplored by Palestinians who wanted their demands for statehood free of Israeli occupation addressed first.
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