Netanyahu’s Visit to UAE Remains Unconfirmed
Gulf
Tel Aviv – Nazir Magally
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the United Arab Emirates remains unconfirmed and may even be postponed, according to political sources in Tel Aviv. It is tentatively scheduled for February 9. Netanyahu had shortened his planned tour of the Gulf from three days to just three hours, where he will only briefly visit Abu Dhabi and meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Sources close to the PM discussed the official visit to the UAE three times before, however, no official statement was issued by the Israeli government. Netanyahu had originally been set to make the trip in December, and then in January, but it was then postponed to February. The detailed schedule of the visit was released, and the sources announced that it will last three days starting February 9 with the visit to Abu Dhabi. Netanyahu was then supposed to visit Dubai and meet with the Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and a number of state and finance officials and businessmen. On the third day, he was planned to land in Manama, Bahrain, for six hours, during which he was to meet King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. The sources confirmed, at the time, that the schedule of the visit was complete, but was subject to change due to the coronavirus outbreak in the UAE, Bahrain and Israel. Indeed, Israel delayed the December visit due to its imposing of a virus lockdown and Bahrain forced the delay of the rescheduled trip earlier this month. On Monday, Netanyahu made the surprise announcement that he was reducing his February 9 trip from three days to three hours. Sources blamed the move on the lockdown imposed in Israel, even though it will end on Friday. The sources said the PM will only visit Abu Dhabi and meet the crown prince. Should the visit happen, it will be the first open one by an Israeli prime minister to Abu Dhabi. Netanyahu originally wanted to make the trip last summer soon after the normalization deals with the UAE and Bahrain were signed. The UAE and Bahrain, however, asked that he delay the visit and opted that the first visit be carried out by ministers. Netanyahu opposed the proposal and barred his ministers from traveling to the Gulf because he wanted to be the first Israeli official to see the fruition of the peace talks and claim the spotlight to himself. His position was criticized in Israel and even by the White House at the time. The PM did not relent and kept on insisting that he will be the first Israeli official to visit the Arab countries that signed the Abraham Accords.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2780096/netanyahu%E2%80%99s-visit-uae-remains-unconfirmed
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