With less than 12 days to go to the elections, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will pay his first visit to the United Arab Emirates on Thursday, an official source confirmed Wednesday.
Netanyahu is said to have updated Defense Minister Benny Gantz on the visit although the trip was not immediately confirmed by the Prime Minister’s office or the UAE.
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UAE Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
(Photo: AP, Alex Kolomoisky)
Netanyahu’s planned trip was canceled last month due to a pandemic of coronavirus, with sources saying the Gulf kingdom was also concerned about the proximity of the March 23 election visit – but it was believed about end.
According to various reports, Netanyahu is ready to meet with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan during the visit.
It was not immediately clear whether he would also travel to Bahrain, as he had planned to make the trip to the Gulf the previous February.
None of the Israeli air carriers – El Al and Israir or Arkia – have been offered to take part in the flight and it is unclear how the prime minister will make his way to Abu Dhabi.
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National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat will meet last August with Crown Prince Abu Dhabi bin Zayed
(Photo: GPO)
Israel established formal relations with the UAE and Bahrain in September last year as part of a US agreement. All three countries have common concerns about Iran.
Prior to the signing of the normalization agreements, the Israeli delegation led by National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat and accompanied by his then US representative Robert Robert C. O’Brien and former House adviser Jared Kushner sailed for Abu Dhabi in August.