National Security Adviser to lead Israeli delegation to UAE next week
Israeli team will fly with American officials on first commercial direct flight to Abu Dhabi.
By LAHAV HARKOV, OMRI NAHMIASNATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL head Meir Ben-Shabbat attends a state audit committee meeting at the Knesset in 2018(photo credit: HADAS PARUSH/FLASH90)
An official Israeli delegation led by National Security Adviser Meir Ben Shabbat is set to travel to Abu Dhabi next Monday, following the announcement of normalization between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.The Israelis will take the first-ever commercial direct flight from Israel to the UAE, with Ben-Shabbat’s American counterpart Robert O’Brien, White House Special Adviser Jared Kushner, US Special Representative for International Negotiations Avi Berkowitz and Special Representative for Iran, Brian Hook.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Israeli delegation will “act, together with the American team and the parallel Emirati team, to promote peace and normalization between Israel and the UAE.”Normalization with the UAE is a “historic agreement that will bring engines for growth. It can help bring about economic flourishing in general, and specifically in the time of the coronavirus,” Netanyahu stated. “I hope that more countries in our region will join the circle of peace.”The prime minister also expressed hope that Israeli tourists will be able to visit Dubai soon.Israeli aviation, health and banking experts will be on the flight as well. The Prime Minister’s Office said that talks in Abu Dhabi will also focus on ways to cooperate in fields such as tourism, trade, energy, security and more.“The experts could engage in substantive conversation and work on bilateral agreements in those industries,” a White House official added.
