Prime minister of Israel and prince of Abu Dhabi talk about Iran at historic meeting

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The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, received this Monday (13) the Prime Minister of Israel, Naftali Bennett, in the first public meeting between the de facto ruler of the United Arab Emirates and an Israeli leader.

The meeting takes place in the wake of the reestablishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, consolidated in September 2020, with an agreement mediated by the US. Images of the meeting, classified as historic by the Israeli prime minister’s office, show Bennett and bin Zayed smiling and shaking hands.

Details of the matters discussed were not disclosed, but before Bennett returned home at the end of the day, his office said that the Crown Prince had accepted an invitation to visit Israel — but there was no confirmation from the Emirati authorities.

The state news agency WAM, for its part, released a statement in which bin Zayed expressed his hope for stability in the Middle East and said that Bennett’s visit meant “a step forward in the cooperative relationship towards more positive steps in the interests of the people of the two nations and of the region”.

Palestinians lamented the rapprochement between the two countries. In addition to having staged a conflict in May this year, Israel and Palestine have had their diplomacy suspended since 2014.

Before the meeting, Amir Hayek, Israel’s ambassador to Abu Dhabi, said in an interview on Israeli Army radio that the Iran issue would certainly be addressed, but said that the prime minister would not go to the Arab country just to deal with this issue.

“Israel is cooperating with a new ally, a partner for the long term, and considerations will be made both about Defense and working with a country that is very friendly to Israel,” Hayek said.

The visit comes as negotiations between world powers and Iran resumed in Vienna, with the aim of saving the 2015 nuclear agreement, abandoned in 2018 by then US President Donald Trump.

The negotiations were criticized by Israel, which is calling for the application of concrete measures against Iran. The UAE, despite also seeing Iran as a threat, remains an important commercial partner of the country.

But while common concern over Iran’s nuclear program is among the reasons for the diplomatic move, the UAE is also trying to improve its relations with Tehran — last week the country sent a representative to the Persian country.

On another front, a US delegation is due to arrive in the UAE this week to warn the country’s banks about non-compliance with sanctions against Tehran.

Israel’s arch enemy Iran but has not been publicly mentioned by Bennett since the prime minister left for Abu Dhabi with a pledge to promote bilateral trade and other forms of civil cooperation. On Monday, the state press in the Persian country reported that Tehran had condemned the visit, saying that the meeting was at the expense of security and the interests of the region and of Muslims.

Israeli daily Hayom, citing official sources, said Bennett should share with bin Zayed intelligence related to Iranian-supplied militias and drones in the region.

Last month, Israel approached the Gulf Arab countries to establish joint defenses against Iran. Defense sales to the UAE are ongoing, but Israeli industry sources say advanced anti-missile systems have yet to be offered.

Bennett said that his government will increase efforts to reach a free trade agreement with the United Arab Emirates in the first quarter of 2022. Trade between countries reached US$ 500 million this year, just considering goods, an increase of US$ 125 million registered in 2020. It is expected to continue growing rapidly.

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