Israeli Foreign Minister Kicks Off Visit to UAE

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid on Tuesday touched down in the United Arab Emirates, becoming the first minister from Jerusalem to formally visit the Gulf nation. Lapid met with counterpart Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and will later inaugurate the Israeli Embassy in Abu Dhabi, as well as Jerusalem’s Consulate General in Dubai. The trip follows Lapid’s summit with Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani in Rome on Sunday, immediately after his sit-down with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. On Monday, Israel’s outgoing President Reuven Rivlin became the first Israeli official to meet with President Joe Biden, during a three-day trip to Washington. The US president assured Rivlin his commitment to the Jewish state was “iron-clad,” adding, “Iran will never get a nuclear weapon on my watch.” President Biden also expressed his desire to meet with Israel’s new prime minister, Naftali Bennett, an event speculated to be arranged as soon as next month.