Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid to Visit Emirates
Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid will fly to the United Arab Emirates next week for an historic two-day visit, marking the first trip by a senior Israeli government official to the Gulf nation since the two countries normalized their relations last August. According to Israel’s Foreign Ministry, Lapid’s visit, scheduled for next Tuesday and Wednesday, will include a meeting with counterpart Abdullah Bin Zayed and official inauguration ceremonies of Israel’s Abu Dhabi embassy and Dubai consulate. “Ties between Israel and the UAE are an important relationship, the fruits of which will be enjoyed not only by the citizens of the two countries, but by the entire Middle East,” the statement issued by Jerusalem read. Prior to the March elections, former prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu tried in vain to secure a similar trip to the Gulf, but was thwarted at least four times by coronavirus concerns and regional security issues. Following the Israeli-Emirati agreement, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco all signed similar pacts normalizing ties with Jerusalem.