Israeli premier makes first official visit to UAE
JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Sunday made a historic trip to the United Arab Emirates, the first visit by an Israeli premier, as part of a blitz of regional diplomacy against the backdrop of struggling nuclear talks with Iran.
Israel has watched with concern as Iran has pushed a hard line against negotiators meeting in Vienna, at once demanding sanctions relief while accelerating its nuclear program.
In recent weeks, Israel has dispatched its top diplomat and its defense and spy chiefs to meet allies in Europe, the U.S. and the Mideast to push for a firmer approach to Iran. The Israeli outreach has been accompanied by repeated threats to take military action against Iran if diplomacy fails.
Bennett’s trip to Abu Dhabi, where he will meet with Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed, is a milestone for both Israel and its new leader. Israel and the UAE last year signed a normalization deal brokered by the Trump administration under the “Abraham Accords,” a series of diplomatic accords with Arab countries that also included Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco. Israel and the UAE have long shared common anxiety over Iran’s nuclear program. The deal to establish ties between the countries only increased tensions with the Islamic Republic.
Bennett was received by an honor guard and welcomed by the UAE’S foreign minister, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
“I am very excited to be here, on the first official visit by an Israeli leader,” Bennett said. “We look forward to strengthen the diplomatic relations between the countries.”
Bennett’s trip comes on the heels of a visit by the UAE’S national security adviser, Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan to Tehran, where he met with Iran’s new hard-line president, Ebrahim Raisi, in a bid to ease tensions. It was a major visit for the Gulf Arab federation that has long viewed Iran as its main regional threat. Several other regional political visits, by Syria’s foreign minister and the leaders of Saudi Arabia and Turkey, have also taken place recently, all with an eye on the negotiations. Israel, which is not a party to the talks in Vienna, has turned to its allies to work together and lobby negotiators seeking to rein in Iran’s nuclear program.
Israel sees the UAE as a crucial part of that outreach to its allies. Under Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi’s powerful crown prince and long the de facto ruler of the Emirates, the UAE has embarked on a rapid expansion of its military forces to counter what it sees as the threat posed by Iran.
The Vienna negotiations are working to revive the 2015 nuclear accord between Iran and six world powers. That agreement, launched by President Barack Obama, granted Iran relief from stifling sanctions in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program.