First UAE delegation lands in Israel

DUBAI: The first official UAE delegation landed in Israel’s Ben Gurion airport on Tuesday.

The officials were greeted by the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the report added; and will remain in the area of the airport due to coronavirus regulations. The whole visit will last for five hours.

The trilateral meetings between Israel, the US, and UAE will include Netanyahu, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, US Assistant to President Avi Berkowitz, UAE Minister of State for Financial Affairs Obaid Humaid Al-Tayer, and UAE Minister of Economy Abdulla Bin Touq Al-Marri.

United Arab Emirates Director of Strategic Communications at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Hend Al-Otaiba posted an image; of an Etihad plane with a caption saying; “this morning UAE prepares to send its first official delegation to Israel, led by HE Obaid Al Tayer and HE Abdulla Bin Touch, and accompanied by US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.”

“We will sign 4 agreements that will change the path of the people of UAE and Israel,” said Netanyahu.

Israel and the United Arab Emirates have already signed several commercial deals; since mid-August when they first announced they would establish full relations.

Bilateral relations between UAE and Israel

“The agreements will strengthen bilateral relations between UAE and Israel,” said Al-Tayer.

The United Arab Emirates and fellow Gulf state Bahrain in September became the first Arab states in a quarter of a century to sign deals to establish formal ties with Israel; a move that Washington and its allies have said would foster regional peace and stability; rejected by the Palestinians.

Moreover, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Middle East envoy Ari Berkowitz are joining them on the trip; after having accompanied an Israeli delegation to Bahrain on Sunday for a signing ceremony to formalize ties.