Israel president flies to UAE in first amid regional tension
ABC News
Israel’s figurehead president is traveling to the United Arab Emirates in the first official visit by the country’s head of state, the latest sign of deepening ties between the two nations
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Israel’s figurehead president flew to the United Arab Emirates on Sunday in the first official visit by the country’s head of state, the latest sign of deepening ties between the two nations as tensions rise in the region.
The UAE and Israel normalized relations in the fall of 2020, part of a series of U.S.-brokered diplomatic deals between Israel and Arab states that had long avoided formal relations with Israel over its decades-old conflict with the Palestinians.
The office of President Isaac Herzog said he would be meeting top officials including Abu Dhabi’s powerful Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the de facto Emirati leader, along with members of the country's small but growing Jewish expat community. He also was expected to visit Expo 2020, the world’s fair in Dubai, where Israel has hosted a series of events at its national pavilion.
The president plays a largely ceremonial role as a national unifier in Israel’s parliamentary system, where the prime minister holds the most power. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett last month made his first official visit to the Gulf Arab sheikhdom and discussed strengthening relations on a number of fronts with Sheikh Mohammed.
