Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid is set to dedicate the Israeli Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Israeli Consulate in Dubai. He will also visit Israel’s pavilion at the Expo 2020 world exposition, which will begin in October.
As Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid arrived in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday for the first visit of an Israeli senior official to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Jewish Council of the Emirates (JCE), a network of Jewish communal leaders who are building Jewish life in the Gulf country, said the trip ”represents a growing bond between the UAE and Israel.”
Chief Rabbi Yehuda Sarna said “we are honored to welcome Foreign Minister Lapid.”
The visit marks Lapid’s first trip to the Gulf since assuming his new role and takes place within his first month in this position, highlighting how important Israel views its relationship with the UAE. It is also the first visit by a senior Israeli official since Israel and the UAE signed the Abraham Accords in September 2020.
Lapid is also alternate Prime Minister.
“We hope that the Foreign Minister’s visit will be a harbinger for further religious, business and cultural exchange and opportunities between our two nations,” said Senior Rabbi Dr. Elie Abadie.
“We are incredibly excited to welcome Foreign Minister Lapid at a time when our community is growing and has a greater impact here in the UAE,” said JCE Co-Founder Alex Peterfreund. “We look forward to meeting with him and sharing how well we have been embraced here by both the UAE government and people.”
The Jewish Council of the Emirates (JCE) is a network of Jewish communal leaders who are building and growing Jewish life in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It plays an essential role in establishing vital Jewish institutions such as the Shaarei Mizrah synagogue in Dubai and the Abrahamic Family House synagogue and mikvah in Abu Dhabi.
During his visit, Lapid is scheduled to meet several ministers, including his Emirati counterpart, Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, State Minister for Economic Matters Ahmed Al Sayegh and Culture Minister Noura Al Kaabi. He will also meet with representatives of the Jewish communities in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Lapid, who described his visit as ”historic”, is set to dedicate the Israeli Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Israeli Consulate in Dubai. He will also visit Israel’s pavilion at the Expo 2020 world exposition, which will begin in October.
Israeli ministers have previously visited UAE, but newly appointed Lapid is the most senior Israeli to make the trip, and the first to travel on an official mission.
Israel and the UAE established full diplomatic relations last year under the Trump administration after the two countries signed the United States-brokered “Abraham Accords.” The UAE was joined by Bahrain in normalizing ties with Israel, becoming the third and fourth Arab states to sign peace deals with the Jewish state, after Egypt and Jordan. Sudan and Morocco also normalized their relations with Israel.
In the nine months since the two countries signed the normalization agreement at the White House, Israel and the UAE have signed extensive trade and cooperation deals, and bilateral trade is already expected to have exceeded $354 million. More than 200,000 Israeli tourists have traveled to the UAE.