New Israeli foreign minister lands in UAE on 1st state visit

Israel’s new foreign minister has touched down in the United Arab Emirates

JERUSALEM -- Israel’s new foreign minister has touched down in the United Arab Emirates, starting the first high-level trip by an Israeli official to the Gulf Arab state since the two countries normalized relations last year. The visit by Foreign Minister Yair Lapid on Tuesday to the UAE capital of Abu Dhabi comes after the two countries opened ties in an agreement brokered by the Trump administration, the first of four similar deals with Arab states that had long shunned Israel over its conflict with the Palestinians. Lapid, the architect of a new Israeli government sworn in earlier this month that brought down the record 12-year-long tenure of Benjamin Netanyahu, was to inaugurate the Israeli Embassy in Abu Dhabi and a consulate in Dubai. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.