For the first time, an official delegation from the United Arab Emirates is visiting Israel. This morning, the Etihad aircraft containing, among others, the ministers of Economic Affairs and Finance landed at Ben-Gurion airport. US Treasury Secretary Mnuchin was also on board. They were welcomed there by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.
The visit is limited to the airport due to the corona virus. Delegations have signed documents to cooperate in various areas such as economics, aviation and science. The visa requirement for travelers between the two countries will also lapse.
Iran common enemy
The agreements did not come out of the blue, explains correspondent Ties Brock. “Last month signed the Emirates, like Bahrain, in the US capital Washington have an agreement with Israel on normalization of relations. They seek cooperation in the fight against their common enemy in the region: Iran. ”
The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain are new the third and fourth Arab countries who officially recognize Israel as a state. Previously, only Egypt (1979) and Jordan (1994) had formal relations.
There is also criticism in the Arab world, says Brock. “Arab countries had previously agreed with each other that they would only recognize Israel when an independent Palestinian state was a fact. It does not exist yet. So especially the Palestinians see these developments as a stab in the back.”
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