DUBAI (Reuters) – United Arab Emirates’ president Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan confirmed the Gulf state’s commitment to relations with Israel in a call with prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu that discussed strengthening ties, UAE state media said on Tuesday.
A separate statement from Netanyahu’s office said the two leaders agreed to “continue the dialogue between them in a personal meeting in the near future.” UAE state news agency WAM made no mention of an in-person meeting.
The phone call follows a series of moves and comments by Netanyahu’s right-wing governing coalition that have raised Arab ire and drawn condemnation from the UAE, including over Israeli settlement policy in the occupied West Bank.
There has been a surge in Israeli-Palestinian violence in recent months and concern that tensions could increase during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which this year coincides with Judaism’s Passover and…
Read More