Ofer Gendelman, the spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, announced that Netanyahu will visit the UAE and Bahrain next week.
Sputnik reported that Gendelman tweeted on his official Twitter account on Tuesday evening, confirming that Netanyahu will be visiting the UAE and Bahrain next week. Initially, Netanyahu was scheduled to make this trip in November but it was postponed twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the internal political crisis in Israel. Last Sunday, Israeli media reported that Prime Minister Netanyahu would make an official visit to the UAE and Bahrain in mid-February. It is expected that Netanyahu will spend one day in the Emirati capital, Abu Dhabi, where he will meet with senior Emirati leaders, and then head to Dubai, concluding his trip in the Bahraini capital, Manama.
Israeli media reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to shorten his planned visit to the UAE and Bahrain on February 9, indicating that he will make a brief visit to Abu Dhabi lasting only three hours to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed. The media added that the visit was initially planned to last three days, including meetings in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Manama. The visit aims to reaffirm the recent diplomatic achievements of Israel with certain Arab countries, as well as to rally the leaders of these countries to create a united front against the U.S. return to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. The UAE and Bahrain signed peace agreements with Israel, mediated by the U.S., during a ceremony at the White House on September 15 of last year.
