Israeli Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu visited Abu Dhabi last week at the invitation of senior Emirati officials, the Otzma Yehudit politician revealed in a Hebrew-language Facebook post on Wednesday.
Eliyahu is the second minister to visit the UAE since Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government was sworn in on Dec. 29, 2022. Last month, the energy minister Israel Katz traveled to Abu Dhabi to discuss a UAE-brokered water-for-solar energy deal between Israel and Jordan.
Eliyahu flew to the Emirates last week to gain a deeper understanding of the Abraham’s accord trajectory as he explained on his Facebook timeline.
“The Abraham Accords created a tremendous infrastructure for heritage. Our first father, Abraham, is also their father and is the real evidence of the verse in the Torah that says Abraham, our father, will be a source of blessing for all nations. If you look closely, you understand how great the potential is for creating healthy relationships between nations,” said Eliyahu.
The Abraham Accords are a series of treaties normalizing diplomatic relations between Israel, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco, facilitated by the U.S. Administration between August and December 2020. In the span of five short months, these four Arab states joined Egypt and Jordan in making peace with Israel. The agreements were called “The Abraham Accords” in honor of Abraham – the patriarch of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
The minister, who is also a rabbi, was surprised by Emiratis’ genuine respect for Judaism. “Ordinary diplomacy is based on building relationships based on common interests. Alongside this, there must be deep diplomacy based on identity and faith. The ancient Jewish heritage is received with great respect and goodwill.” said Eliyahu.
Eliyahu concluded his post by calling on the Israeli government to “deepen its relations with the countries of the Abraham Accords” on a “people to people” basis. “Shared values will create a deeper understanding and relationships that will allow us to truly work towards a common goal,” wrote the Heritage Minister.
The UAE in 2020 became the first Gulf state along with Bahrain to normalize relations with Israel as part of the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been invited to attend the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Dubai, scheduled to run from November 30 until December 12. It would be his first official visit to the UAE. The prime minister was scheduled to visit the UAE earlier this year, but that trip was postponed.
Produced in association with Jewish News Syndicate
Edited by Eunice Anyango Oyule and Newsdesk Manager
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