Israel's president invites UAE crown prince to Jerusalem
President Reuven Rivlin said Monday he extended a formal invite to Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Days after Israel and the United Arab Emirates reached a historic deal to normalize ties, Israel’s president has invited the UAE’s de facto ruler, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to Jerusalem.
"I am full of hope that the agreement being drawn up between our countries will help build and strengthen the trust between us and the nations of the region,” President Reuven Rivlin tweeted Monday, saying he sent a formal invitation to the Emirati royal. “In my letter, I wrote that I have no doubt that future generations will appreciate how brave and wise leadership restarted the discourse on peace, trust, dialogue.”
Last week, the two countries signed a US-brokered agreement in which Israel has agreed to temporarily suspend plans to annex large portions of the West Bank in exchange for cooperation with the Emiratis on investment, tourism, telecommunications and other areas. The two countries will also set up reciprocal embassies.
As part of the deal, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Monday that Israel is preparing direct flights to the Gulf Arab country that would fly over Saudi Arabia.
