Israel and the Arab world: Bennett travels to the Emirates for the first time

It is another step towards normalization: Israeli Prime Minister Bennett is making his first official visit to the United Arab Emirates today. The timing of the trip is not a coincidence.

Naftali Bennett is the first Israeli Prime Minister to make an official visit to the United Arab Emirates. “I will be leaving today,” he announced during a cabinet meeting. Only last year both countries signed a peace agreement.

Bennett’s office announced that a meeting with Sheikh Mohammed bin Said Al Nahjan is planned on Monday. Al Nahjan is the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and the de facto ruler of the Emirates. The discussion should focus on deepening relations between the two countries as well as economic and regional issues.

Bennett’s trip coincides with the ongoing talks on the international nuclear deal with Iran. Israel is not a negotiating party, but is watching developments with concern. In the past, Israel had repeatedly made it clear that it did not want to accept a nuclear-armed Iran. However, Iran denies wanting to build nuclear weapons.

An embassy in Tel Aviv

In September last year, Israel signed diplomatic relations agreements with the Emirates and Bahrain. In the summer, the Emirates opened an embassy in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv. The countries are now linked by direct flight connections. Economic considerations are the main driving force behind the rapprochement, but the countries also see themselves in political competition with Iran.

Previously, only two Arab states, the neighboring countries Egypt and Jordan, had diplomatic relations with Israel.