ABU DHABI – Foreign Minister Yair Lapid officially dedicated the Israeli Embassy in the United Arab Emirates and met with the Gulf state’s Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed on Tuesday, during the historic first visit by an Israeli minister to the UAE since it established diplomatic relations with Israel last year.
The Biden administration is “positive and excited” about ties between Israel and the UAE, and the prospect of Israel establishing diplomatic relations with more Arab countries, Lapid said in a briefing with reporters accompanying him to Abu Dhabi.
However, two days after meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Rome, Lapid said Washington “says that [normalizations] require us to make an effort with the Palestinians,” contrary to the Trump administration, which “gave a sense that [the Abraham Accords] were instead of progress on the Palestinian front, or a way to prove it’s unnecessary.”
Lapid was skeptical about the chances of an agreement with the Palestinians.
“The Palestinians have to want progress themselves for someone to be able to help them, and that’s not the situation now in the Palestinian Authority or Hamas,” he said.
“Don’t shoot 4,000 rockets at Israelis if you want to get help,” Lapid said regarding reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.
The topic of the Palestinians came up in his meetings with Blinken and with bin Zayed, he said.
The Emiratis want to have a positive impact on the Palestinian issue, Lapid said, adding that he is sure they will be helpful if there is any possibility of progress.
Lapid said his meeting with bin Zayed revolved mostly around regional issues and US involvement in the Middle East, as well as expanding the Abraham Accords to other countries.
He expressed hope that more Arab countries will follow the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco in establishing relations with Israel, but naming them would hurt chances of it happening.
“There are other countries we talk to under the radar,” Lapid said. “The goal is to have relations with as many as possible.”
Israel needs to work to develop relations with Sudan, he said. Those ties have stalled since they were announced last year.
Lapid declined to answer questions about Iran while in the UAE, which views the Islamic Republic as an adversary but is less vocal than Israel about it.
He also hailed “the unusually large pile of economic agreements [between Israel and the UAE] happening quickly that will influence the lives of all Israelis” and will help Israel’s economy in a difficult time.
Lapid and bin Zayed signed an economic cooperation agreement at the end of their meeting.
Earlier Tuesday, at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Israeli Embassy to the UAE, Lapid said: “Israel wants peace with all of its neighbors. We aren’t going anywhere. The Middle East is our home, and we’re here to stay, so we call on all countries in the region to recognize that and talk to us.”
“Agreements are signed by leaders, but peace is made by people” he added. “What we are doing here today is not the end of the road; it’s the beginning.”
Lapid thanked former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “the architect of the Abraham Accords, who worked tirelessly to bring them about,” as well as former US president Donald Trump and President Joe Biden for supporting the process.
Lapid was flanked by the Israeli and Emirati flags in a sunny conference room with a panoramic window facing the sea and Abu Dhabi’s skyscrapers.
Emirati Culture and Youth Minister Noura Al Kaabi attended the event and expressed “enthusiasm over what we hope will be the first of many high-level visits.”
“In the wake of the Abraham Accords of last year... our two countries have witnessed incredible strides in the political, economic and cultural fields,” she said.
“The fruits of this cooperation are numerous,” Al Kaabi said, citing research on the COVID-19 pandemic, travel, trade, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.
But the most important thing is that the UAE and Israel “have inspired others in the region to prioritize peace and stability on the path to a brighter future... and work toward a region that embraces human dignity for all and inclusiveness and tolerance to prepare our children for a brighter future,” she said. “We look forward to witnessing what tomorrow will bring for our countries in this shared journey of cooperation.”
Lapid and Al Kaabi then approached two posts symbolically tied with blue and white ribbons, which they cut, while chuckling, at Al Kaabi’s count to three.
Rabbi Levi Duchman, the Chabad shliach for the UAE, said the blessing on the mezuzah installed at the entrance to the embassy in the presence of representatives of the local Jewish community.
Lapid sported a kippah with the symbol of the State of Israel on it and said the shehecheyanu blessing, marking the momentous occasion with Duchman.
Ambassador to the UAE Eitan Na’eh has been in the country since January, opening Israel’s representation in the capital’s iconic Etihad Towers. There are already plans to expand the embassy to a larger office space.
Blinken praised the embassy’s dedication, calling it “significant for Israel, the UAE and the broader region.” The US will continue to work with the countries to create a more secure future for the Middle East, he said.
Lapid landed at the VIP terminal of Abu Dhabi International Airport on Tuesday morning. Israeli and Emirati flags waved, and a red carpet was rolled out at the foot of the steps descending from an El Al plane. UAE Minister of State Ahmed Al Sayegh, who is responsible for economic affairs, met Lapid on the red carpet, and they held a brief meeting in the terminal.
On Wednesday, Lapid is set to dedicate the Israeli Consulate in Dubai and visit Israel’s pavilion at the Expo 2020 world exposition, which will begin in October.
Also Tuesday, Bahrain’s King Hamad formally appointed Khaled Yousef al-Jalahmah as the country’s ambassador to Israel. He was tasked with opening the Bahraini Embassy in Israel three months ago.
تحياتي الحارة للسفير خالد يوسف الجلاهمة الذي قام بأداء القسم القانوني أمام جلالة الملك حمد بن عيسى آل خليفة عاهل البحرين وسيصل قريباً للعمل سفيراً لمملكة البحرين في إسرائيل. خطوة أخرى ذات أهمية كبيرة في تعزيز العلاقات المهمة بين إسرائيل والبحرين.
— יאיר לפיד - Yair Lapid (@yairlapid) June 30, 2021
שולח ברכות חמות לשגריר חלאד יוסיף אל ג׳להמה שהושבע אתמול על ידי הוד מלכותו המלך חמד אל ח'ליפה ויגיע בקרוב לשרת כשגריר בחריין בישראל.צעד משמעותי נוסף בחיזוק היחסים החשובים בין ישראל בחריין.
— יאיר לפיד - Yair Lapid (@yairlapid) June 30, 2021
Jalahama was the director of operations at Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry and deputy chief of mission at the Bahraini Embassy in the US from 2009-2013.