Israeli Cabinet Approves Deal with UAE as Netanyahu Says to Meet Abu Dhabi Crown Prince

During Monday’s weekly cabinet meeting, Israeli ministers unanimously voted in favor of bringing the peace treaty for a vote in the Knesset. The Knesset is expected to debate and vote on the “Treaty of Peace, Diplomatic Relations and Full Normalization Between the United Arab Emirates and the State of Israel” on Thursday.

Netanyahu and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan spoke over the weekend and agreed to meet “soon,” according to a readout of their conversation provided by the Prime Minister’s Office.

The conversation was the first between the two since the agreement to normalize ties between the two sides was announced on August 13.

The readout did not specify where the meeting would take place, but Netanyahu said that he was looking forward to hosting a senior UAE delegation in the Zionist entity.

This would be “a reciprocal visit” following the August 31 trip to Abu Dhabi by an Israeli delegation headed by National Security Adviser Meir Ben Shabbat, the prime minister said.

“This weekend I spoke with my friend, the Crown Prince of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed,” the Israeli prime minister said Monday, addressing his ministers during a weekly cabinet meeting.

Netanyahu told ministers that he had spoken to bin Zayed, describing him as a ‘friend’.

“I invited him to visit Israel, he invited me to visit Abu Dhabi,” he said.