UAE and Israel leaders discuss economic ties in historic trip

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett discussed deepening business cooperation with Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, as the two countries seek to build on ties.

Sheikh Mohamed hosted Bennett in the first official visit by an Israeli Prime Minister, and the two met one-on-one for over two hours on Monday, according to the Prime Minister’s spokeswoman. That was followed up by a meeting with the chief executive officer of the Mubadala Investment Company, Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak.

His Highness Sheikh @MohamedBinZayed Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces receives Israel’s Prime Minister HE @naftalibennett in Abu Dhabi today. They discussed cooperation relations and regional issues. pic.twitter.com/gi0T1ZkDIF

— UAE Embassy in Israel (@UAEinIsrael) December 13, 2021

Health and food security “will constitute a major part of the mutual cooperation,” Bennett told the UAE’s state-run WAM news agency. Cross-border trade has steadily grown, capped off by Mubadala’s recent $1bn purchase of a stake in Israel’s second-biggest natural-gas field.

Israel and the UAE have sought ways to improve defence and economic relations since signing a US-brokered agreement to normalise diplomatic ties.

Read: Israeli PM Naftali Bennett arrives in the UAE on historic visit