Historic meeting between leaders of Israel and the Emirates – Boursorama

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met on Monday in Abu Dhabi with United Arab Emirates strongman Mohammed bin Zayed, a historic meeting that seals a “new reality” in the region.

Commercial ties were at the heart of the discussions on the second day of Mr. Bennett’s visit, the first by an Israeli head of government to an Arab Gulf monarchy.

This visit takes place at a time when the Jewish state is pushing for the maintenance of international sanctions against Iran, its sworn enemy and important economic partner of the Emirates.

Mr Bennett was received by Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed at his private palace, where they exchanged for more than four hours, according to Israeli officials. The prince said he hoped for “positive advances in bilateral cooperation”, according to the official UAE news agency WAM.

The two men discussed “ways of cooperation” in “investment, economy, trade and development, especially in the fields of agriculture, food security, renewable energies, high technologies and of health “, still according to WAM.

Bennett told WAM of “a new reality” in the region.

In a video released by his services at the end of his visit, the Israeli Prime Minister hailed “relevant, deep and direct discussions about our two countries, the region, our economy and our technologies, and what we can do together. ”

“I am leaving for Israel very optimistic that this relationship (with the Emirates, editor’s note) could be an example of how to make peace here in the Middle East,” he added.

– Iranian nuclear power plant –

This visit of Naftali Bennett to Abu Dhabi took place more than a year after the signing of an agreement on the normalization of relations between the two countries on September 15, 2020. Bahrain had signed the same day an identical agreement and these two countries became the first Arab Gulf monarchies to publicly normalize their relations with Israel.

Since then, the Emirates and the Hebrew state have concluded several trade agreements in different areas.

“The Emiratis are interested in Mr. Bennett’s experience in high technology and business, as well as Israeli innovation in general,” said a source in the Israeli delegation.

Beyond the economy, Iran’s nuclear issue is one of the common concerns of Israel and its new Gulf partners.

The region has been the scene of a diplomatic ball in recent weeks as talks on this issue are currently taking place in Vienna.

These indirect negotiations between Iran and the United States, notably through the Europeans, resumed at the end of November in an attempt to resuscitate the 2015 agreement supposed to prevent Tehran from acquiring the atomic bomb.

The United States withdrew from this agreement in 2018, reinstating its sanctions against Iran, which has gradually freed itself in response to restrictions on its nuclear program, raising international concerns even if Tehran denies seeking to build a nuclear bomb .

Bennett urged the big powers to stop the talks, accusing Tehran of “nuclear blackmail” and saying Iran would use any sanctions relief to bolster its military arsenal against Israel.

– Caution –

The Emirates are maintaining a more cautious attitude towards Iran.

At the beginning of December, the national security adviser, Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed, visited Tehran, the first visit in five years by an Emirati official of this rank. Tehran then expressed the hope of opening a new page with the Emirates.

On November 11, the Emirates and Bahrain conducted the first joint naval maneuvers with the Jewish state, with the aim of “improving (their) collective maritime security capabilities”, according to the US Navy.

Iran is regularly accused of carrying out hostile operations in Gulf waters.

The visit of Naftali Bennett was generally little followed by the Emirati media, the local and Arab population still remaining very united with the Palestinians and hostile to the Jewish state.

In the Emirates as in Bahrain, criticism against Israel is not lacking but often stops at social networks, public condemnations against governments being rare in these countries accused of muzzling dissenting voices.

Normalization with Israel broke with decades of Arab consensus ruling out the establishment of official ties without resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, beginning with the end of the occupation of Palestinian territories by Israel.

bur-aem / all / awa