Originally reported in
Lahav Harkov | Feb 1, 2021
Iran is expected to be at the top of the agenda for their meeting.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to visit the United Arab Emirates for the first time next week, following the announcement of the Abraham Accords of peace and normalization between Israel and the UAE in August.
Netanyahu plans to meet with Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed in his palace in the capital.
Iran is expected to be at the top of the agenda for their meeting.
Netanyahu’s visit comes shortly after US President Joe Biden entered office, with a plan for the US to rejoin the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and to try to bring Iran back to compliance with the nuclear deal. Both Israel and the UAE view Iran as a major threat, and Netanyahu’s public stance against the Iran deal in 2015 helped bring the countries closer, eventually leading up to last year’s Abraham Accords.
The prime minister’s trip has been in the works for months, but was repeatedly postponed due to COVID-19 restrictions and political developments in Israel. It is taking place immediately after the government plans to lift its ban on incoming and outgoing flights abroad.
Netanyahu originally planned to visit Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the UAE, as well as Manama, Bahrain, but the trip was shortened to a visit of several hours in Abu Dhabi, due to coronavirus restrictions.
