Israeli president spoke at Dubai’s Expo 2020 world fair on Monday on the first presidential visit to the United Arab Emirates, despite the Gulf state overnight saying it had intercepted a ballistic missile fired by Yemen’s Houthis, Reuters reported.
The UAE became the first Gulf state to normalize relations with Israel under a US-brokered normalization agreement, in 2020. Gulf neighbor Bahrain then followed.
Beginning the first visit by an Israeli president in the United Arab Emirates. We were delighted and deeply moved by the warm welcome in Abu Dhabi by UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh @ABZayed. 🇮🇱🤝🇦🇪 pic.twitter.com/Mgpqq3vm3h
— יצחק הרצוג Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) January 30, 2022
“I hope and I believe that more and more nations will soon follow the UAE lead and join the Abraham Accords,” Isaac Herzog said at an event amid tighter than usual security at the Expo site.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett visited the UAE in December.
Israel's Herzog to continue UAE visit as planned despite Houthi missile https://t.co/NPQSzGam0b pic.twitter.com/ebHw1jP96P
— Reuters (@Reuters) January 30, 2022
The UAE and Israel share concerns about Iran and its regional allies and also see the agreements as a way to boost their economies.
Herzog landed in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi on Sunday where he discussed security and bilateral relations with the UAE’s de facto leader. That night, at 20 minutes past midnight, the UAE said it intercepted a ballistic missile fired by Yemen’s Houthi group.
(The New Arab, PC, Social Media)
