President Isaac Herzog’s visit to Dubai on Monday went exactly as planned. He opened Israel’s national day at Expo 2020 with an honor guard, and “Hatikvah” played in the expo’s central plaza.Herzog met with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is the ruler of the Emirate of Dubai and vice president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates. Nothing changed, publicly, even though Yemen’s Houthi rebels fired a missile at the UAE earlier in the day.After the attack, Herzog’s spokesman released a succinct statement that said the president “was updated with the details of the event. No danger was or is expected to the president and his entourage. The visit is expected to continue as planned.”
Herzog did not mention Iran or the Houthis in his subsequent remarks, but his business-as-usual attitude and continuation of the visit are clear signs that Israel is standing with its Gulf allies facing attacks from the Houthis.The Iran-backed militia’s strike was one in a series on Dubai and Abu Dhabi in recent weeks, plus the Houthis threatened to continue attacking. None of that deterred Herzog from visiting, and the Emiratis appreciated the show of solidarity.The UAE’s leader, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, known as MBZ, publicly thanked Herzog for speaking out against the terrorist attacks. “It is a stance that demonstrates our common view of the threats to regional stability and peace, particularly those posed by militias and terrorist forces, as well as our shared understanding of the importance of taking a firm stance against them,” MBZ said.