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Emirates Foreign Minister: Not worried about the change of government in Israel, enthusiasm for the agreement continues - Walla! news

2021-07-01T07:24:01.967Z


In an exclusive interview from Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed - the man who signed the peace treaty with Israel - tells Walla! Because he is under the impression that the Bennett-Lapid government is enthusiastic about relations between the two countries, compliments former Ashkenazi minister "fairly and seriously" and poses the next challenge of the normalization process: bringing the Palestinians into play


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Agreement with the United Arab Emirates

Foreign Minister of the Emirates: Not worried about the change of government in Israel, enthusiasm for the agreement continues

In an exclusive interview from Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed - the man who signed the peace treaty with Israel - tells Walla!

Because he is under the impression that the Bennett-Lapid government is enthusiastic about relations between the two countries, compliments former Ashkenazi minister "fairly and seriously" and poses the next challenge of the normalization process: bringing the Palestinians into play

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  • United Arab Emirates

  • Yair Lapid

Barak Ravid, Walla!

To Abu Dhabi

Tuesday, 29 June 2021, 07:00 Updated: Wednesday, 30 June 2021, 07:00

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UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah Ben-Zayed said in an exclusive interview with Walla!

In his office at the Foreign Ministry in Abu Dhabi, he is convinced that relations between the two countries can also be promoted with the new government in Jerusalem.

He expressed disappointment that the new US administration had refrained from using the term "Abraham Agreements" and stressed that the challenge now was to integrate the Palestinian Authority into the normalization process in the region.



"I was worried that Israel would enter a stage where it deals with internal affairs and thus we would lose momentum in relations between the countries. But the first phone call that Yair Lapid initiated as foreign minister was to me. It was nice," said Sheikh Abdullah.

"My impression is that the new government in Israel is also very enthusiastic about relations with the United Arab Emirates and that tells me that in the end it is a much broader political move and that there is broad support for Israel and a great willingness to invest."

More on Walla!

Lapid in the Emirates: "Calls on the countries of the region to talk to us, thanks to Netanyahu - the architect of the agreements"

To the full article

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"I am not worried about the change of government in Israel."

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed (Photo: Official website, Walla!)

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayd, 50, is the younger brother of Abu Dhabi's heir and the de facto ruler of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Muhammad bin Zayd.

He has been in office since 2006 and has played a key role in the secret relationship between Israel and the United Arab Emirates during these years.

Last September, he was sent to the White House to sign a peace treaty with Israel.



He said that without the corona plague, it would have been possible to make further progress in relations since the signing of the peace treaty between the two countries.

"What has surprised me since the signing of the agreement is the excitement in both countries about this move and how long this enthusiasm is still going on so I am not worried about the change of government in Israel," said the UAE foreign minister.

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  • Walla!

    We ticked - 28.06.21

In the video: Foreign Minister Lapid on his first visit to the United Arab Emirates (Photo: GPO)

"For Gabi Ashkenazi, word was word"

We met in his office shortly before the meeting between him and Lapid.

UAE Ambassador to Israel Muhammad al-Hajah joined us for a chat.

In the 12 years before his appointment as ambassador to Israel, al-Hajah served as the head of Sheikh Abdullah's office.



During the conversation, the Emirat Foreign Minister spoke about the close relationship he had with Lapid's predecessor in office, Gabi Ashkenazi.

"He is a very serious person. In foreign policy you do not always meet a lot of serious people. Gabi had a word. He knew how to listen and he was a decent person," said Sheikh Abdullah.

"The impression is that the new government is also enthusiastic about the relationship."

Ben-Zayed and Lapid meeting yesterday (Photo: Government Press Office, Shlomi Amsalem)

Lapid arrived for a meeting with Sheikh Abdullah after inaugurating the Israeli embassy in Abu Dhabi.

Following the meeting, the two foreign ministers signed an agreement to encourage economic and commercial cooperation between the two countries.

"This is a government that is going through a difficult economic period. Israel's possibilities for economic development in the near future are mainly in the Gulf. This is a real 'win-win' both economically and politically. I hope it will expand to more countries," Lapid told reporters after signing the agreement.



The Emirate Foreign Minister, for his part, made it clear that the next big opportunity in relations between the two countries is the Expo exhibition, which will open in Dubai in October.

Israel will have a large pavilion in the exhibition.

"This is the first expo exhibition in the Middle East ever, and it is an excellent platform for Israel," he said.



Sheikh Abdullah hopes the Biden administration will continue to push the process of normalization between Israel and the Arab world.

He expressed frustration that the Biden administration had refrained from using the name "Abraham Agreements" publicly given by the Trump administration to the normalization agreements between Israel and the Arab states.

He noted, however, that he was pleased that US Secretary of State Tony Blinken did use that term in talks between them.

For the current administration, normalization has not come at the expense of the Palestinian issue.

Blink and Biden (Photo: Reuters)

"What is the point of not saying that name? They are not against the agreements," Sheikh Abdullah wondered.

"We love it. You love it. So what's the problem (of the Biden administration - BR)? We're talking about a problem related to history, culture and religion. So the fact that part of the solution is through a framework related to history, religion and culture is something to rejoice "For him."

The big challenge is to get the Palestinians into the game

Two days before his visit to Abu Dhabi, Lapid met with US Secretary of State Tony Blinken in Rome. In a briefing to reporters after his meeting with the Emirati foreign minister, Lapid said that promoting normalization between Israel and the Arab world is part of the agenda of the new administration in the United States. He noted that for the Trump administration, the promotion of normalization was in place of the Palestinian issue, and for the current administration, the promotion of normalization does not come at the expense of the Palestinian issue.



Sheikh Abdullah, for his part, said that the great challenge of the normalization process is how to get the Palestinians into the game. He said that Israel should address the humanitarian situation in Gaza and avoid reckless moves in Jerusalem so as not to lead to a renewed escalation. But more than that, he noted, Israel needs to strengthen the Palestinian Authority.



"I believe that Israel must sooner or later solve the Palestinian problem," said Sheikh Abdullah. "It not only hurts Israel's image, but may also cast doubt on its future. This is a big challenge for you."

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Source: walla

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