ABU DHABI: Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan received Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Monday in the first public meeting between the de facto ruler of the United Arab Emirates and an Israeli politician.
The topic of Iran, according to Israel’s envoy in Abu Dhabi, is on the agenda for their meetings, which come after the formalisation of Israel-UAE relations last year under a US-led regional effort.
While the UAE’s diplomatic initiatives were motivated in part by a shared worry over Iranian activities, the UAE has also been attempting to strengthen relations with Tehran.
The Israeli prime minister’s office praised the encounter as “historic,” releasing images of Bennett and Sheikh Mohammed laughing and shaking hands.
According to a statement released by the state news agency WAM, Sheikh Mohammed expressed optimism for “Middle East stability” and said Bennet’s visit will “push the relationship of collaboration toward further good steps in the interests of the people of the two nations and the region.”
The Palestinians, whose negotiations with Israel have been frozen since 2014, have condemned the Israeli-Emirati reconciliation.
“The prime minister did not come here just to solve the Iranian issue,” Israeli Ambassador Amir Hayek said on Israel’s Army Radio.
With international powers attempting to revive the Iran nuclear deal, Abu Dhabi dispatched an ambassador to Tehran last week. A US delegation is scheduled to visit the UAE this week to warn Emirati banks about noncompliance with Iran sanctions.
Iran is Israel’s arch-foe, but Bennett has made no public mention of it since departing on Sunday for the UAE with promises to increase bilateral trade and other types of civilian collaboration.
According to the Israeli publication Israel Hayom, citing anonymous insiders, Bennett is due to brief Sheikh Mohammed on intelligence involving Iranian-supplied militias and drones in the region.
Last month, Israel proposed establishing coordinated defences against Iran with Gulf Arab governments. According to Hayek, military sales to the UAE are in the pipeline, albeit sophisticated Israeli air defence systems have yet to be provided.
“Israel is cooperating with a new friend, with a long-term partner, and the considerations will include both defence concerns and considerations of how you operate with a country that is very, very, very favourable to Israel,” Hayek added.
Bilateral commerce in products between Israel and the UAE has reached approximately $500 million so far in 2021, up from $125 million in 2020, and is likely to continue expanding fast.
