Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is expected to fly to the United Arab Emirates tomorrow (Sunday) to offer his condolences on the death of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayd, who passed away on Tuesday at the age of 73, Israel Today has learned.
Abu Mazen's expected visit to the United Arab Emirates comes after a long rift between Ramallah and Abu Dhabi.
The background to the tension between the two sides is the warm bond formed by the bitter rival of the Palestinian Authority chairman, Muhammad Dahlan, with the ruler of the Emirates, Muhammad bin Zayed.
The much hostility and suspicion that characterized the relationship between the ousted Fatah man, Muhammad Dahlan, and the chairman of the Palestinian Authority, has significantly clouded the ties between the PA and the United Arab Emirates during the last decade of Abu Mazen's rule.
Now, Ramallah is recognizing an opportunity to mend shaky relations with Abu Dhabi and will try to get closer to Muhammad bin Zayed, who was elected yesterday as the official ruler of the UAE.
A Palestinian source told Israel Today that at the end of last year there were attempts to soften the rising tensions between Ramallah and Abu Dhabi and that there were contacts between the head of the General Intelligence Service, Majed Faraj, and the Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Muhammad bin Rashid.
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