Herzog, travelling with the first lady, arrived at around 0800 GMT in the UAE capital
\n Abu Dhabi
\nIsraeli President Isaac Herzog arrived in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Sunday on the first such visit, seeking to strengthen Gulf ties at a time of heightened regional tensions as world powers try to revive a nuclear deal with Iran.
\nSunday\u2019s high-profile diplomatic trip comes more than a month after Naftali Bennett became the first Israeli prime minister to visit the UAE, which normalised ties with Israel in September 2020.
\nThree other Arab countries \u2013 Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco \u2013 also forged diplomatic ties with Israel under the so-called Abraham Accords brokered by the US.
\n\u201cI will be meeting the leadership of the United Arab Emirates, at the personal invitation of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed [al-Nahyan], the crown prince,\u201d Herzog said.
\n\u201cI wish him well and I am grateful for his courage and bold leadership, carving out a peace agreement with Israel and sending a message to the entire region that peace is the only alternative for the peoples of the region.\u201d
\nHerzog is also scheduled to meet with the ruler of Dubai and senior government officials and visit the Dubai Expo.
\nThe presidency in Israel is a largely ceremonial post.
\nDuring Prime Minister Bennett\u2019s visit last month, international talks on Iran\u2019s nuclear programme was on agenda.
\nThe UAE, along with Bahrain, signed the US-brokered normalisation agreements with Israel at the White House in September 2020, pacts that have angered the Palestinians.
\nThe two Gulf nations and Israel share common concerns about Iran and its allied forces in the region.
\nIsrael on January 18 offered security and intelligence support to the UAE against further drone attacks after a deadly attack by Yemen\u2019s Iran-aligned Houthi group, according to a letter released on Tuesday by Israel\u2019s leader.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Herzog, travelling with the first lady, arrived at around 0800 GMT in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi Israeli President Isaac Herzog arrived in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Sunday on the first such visit, seeking to strengthen Gulf ties at a time of heightened regional tensions as world powers try to revive a nuclear […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":241687,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[3536,1076,606],"class_list":{"0":"post-241663","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"tag-israeli-president","9":"tag-uae","10":"tag-visit"},"yoast_head":"\n