In an historic first visit by a Gulf Arab nation, a UAE delegation arrived in Israel on Tuesday, accompanied by top US officials, to cement a normalisation deal signed last month.
The UAE and Bahrain became the first Arab states in a quarter of a century to sign deals to establish formal ties with Israel despite ongoing differences over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The deals, forged largely over shared fears of Iran, were brokered by US President Donald Trump ahead of next month’s US presidential election.
“We are making history in a way that will stand for generations,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in welcoming Emirati economy minister Abdullah bin Touq al-Mari and minister of state for financial affairs Obaid Humaid al-Tayer. They were accompanied by US treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin and other American officials on the flight from Abu Dhabi to Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv.
“I think that the visit of such a high level delegation from the UAE... will show our peoples, the region and the entire world the benefit of having friendly, peaceful and normal exchanges,” Netanyahu said.
Four agreements were signed “relating to investment, scientific cooperation, civil aviation and visa exemptions during the visit, which was restricted to the airport due to coronavirus concerns.
Tayer said the deals offered “great opportunities” to “achieve prosperity for both our economies, and our people”.