Prime Minister Yair Lapid met Wednesday with United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who had arrived in Israel the day before to mark the two-year anniversary of the Abraham Accords.
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The two leaders had a private discussion before holding an expanded meeting that was expected to focus on enhancing bilateral ties as well as on Iran's nuclear program.
"This is a historic visit of a regional leader that will advance the regional architecture we have been building this past year in the Middle East. This is a visit of a strategic partner that will strengthen economic and security ties between our countries. This is a visit of a close and dear friend, with whom I can talk about everything," Lapid said during a joint press conference with Al Nahyan.
"My friend, together, we are changing the face of the Middle East. We are changing it from war to peace, from terrorism to economic cooperation, from a discourse of violence and extremism to a dialogue of tolerance and cultural curiosity," he said. "You may know that the Hebrew word shalom has two meanings – both hello and peace. So, I greet you with shalom, and I wish us all shalom: A blessing of peace,"
Al Nahyan was to attend a reception in the evening hosted by Abu Dhabi's ambassador to Israel, Mohamed Al Khajah, which President Isaac Herzog was also expected to attend.
Earlier Thursday, Al Nahyan toured the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial museum, where he laid a wreath in the Hall of Remembrance in honor of the six million Jews killed in the Nazi genocide.
"My presence here today reminds us of the lessons that history teaches us and the great responsibility we have to practice tolerance for the sake of building our communities and societies," he wrote in the museum's guestbook. "We must take brave steps to build a bridge of real peace for future generations."
Prior to that, Herzog held an official luncheon for the UAE foreign minister at the President's Residence.
The two also met privately, with Al Nahyan presenting Herzog with a letter from UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
"The world looks at the Abraham Accords with awe and respect, and says there's a new Middle East in many ways, being created and moving forward," Herzog said during the meeting, according to a statement from his office.
Al Nahyan added, "This is historic, but I think in many ways this is a relationship which very few thought that in two years it would be as successful."
The Emirati foreign minister is also slated to meet with Prime Minister-designate Naftali Bennett and opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu during his current trip.
Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.
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