Yair Lapid chooses Emirates for his first official visit to an Arab country

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid's trip to the United Arab Emirates confirms the new Israeli government's trend of further strengthening relations with the Arab countries that signed the Abraham Accords. During this visit, Lapid will be received by the Emirati Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Abdullah bin Zayed Nahyan, and will formally inaugurate the Israeli Embassy in Abu Dhabi, the Consulate in Dubai, both of which have been in operation for months, and his country's pavilion at the World Expo (1 October 2021-31 March 2022).

No Israeli cabinet minister has visited the UAE since the Abraham Accords were announced. Israel's former prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, had to postpone planned trips due to COVID-19 border closures. Likewise, the last of the trips was postponed as a result of the recent elections as the UAE did not want the relationship to become politicised. "Proud to represent the State of Israel on your first official visit to the UAE. Thank you for the warm welcome," Yair Lapid tweeted in Hebrew and Arabic upon his arrival. Earlier, Lapid posted on Twitter a picture of himself on a plane, accompanied by the words "I am taking off for a historic visit to the UAE".

It is particularly remarkable that the new government's first official trip is to an Arab country. This is not a random decision but marks the new coalition government's intention to consolidate the Abraham Accords, which involved the normalisation of relations between Israel and several Arab countries including the United Arab Emirates, Sudan, Bahrain and Morocco. 

These negotiations also broke the historic consensus among Arab countries that any official recognition of Israel had to be conditional on an end to the occupation of Palestinian territories and the establishment of the two-state solution on the 1967 borders. Israel's new government knows the importance of these agreements, which is why its first official visit abroad is to the United Arab Emirates. 

Unlike the previous government led by Netanyahu, Naftali Bennett, Israel's current prime minister has delegated all foreign policy decisions and actions to Lapid, while Bennett will focus on the country's internal affairs. Although the new government has tried on several occasions to dissociate itself from Netanyahu's government, it is taking up the legacy of the Abraham Accords, which it fervently intends to revitalise.

Since the normalisation of relations between Israel and the UAE was signed, the two countries have entered into multiple trade agreements. Israel has signed a number of agreements with the UAE, ranging from tourism to aviation and financial services. The two states have agreed on visa-free travel for their citizens. A number of bilateral agreements on investment, tourism, direct flights, security and telecommunications have also been signed.

Just after the deal was reached, the Trump Administration authorised the sale of 50 F-35 fighter jets to the UAE, which would make it the second Middle Eastern country after Israel to acquire them. The Biden administration also put the deal to sell the F-35 fighter jets to the UAE on hold, but finally in April, the administration decided to go ahead with the $23 billion arms sale, saying it would work with the UAE to ensure compliance with human rights standards.

Since the outbreak of the Arab Spring, Egypt has been on the back burner. Egypt first had to deal with its domestic problems before repositioning itself as a key player in the region's stability. However, Cairo has gradually re-established itself as the Middle East's mediator. 

Egyptian mediators have met with all parties in Israel and the Palestinian territories since the 21 May ceasefire, and although no progress has been announced in the negotiations, in his first phone call with Naftali Bennett since he took office, Al-Sisi stressed Egypt's support for efforts to reach a just and permanent solution between Palestinians and Israelis. He also reaffirmed the importance of supporting an Egyptian campaign to help rebuild the Gaza Strip after last month's fighting between Israel and Hamas.

Egypt's diplomatic efforts since the escalation of violence between Hamas and Israel began have been titanic. The North African country has undoubtedly emerged as the main mediator, even more so than the United States.

One of the main points of this call was the release of Israeli soldiers and citizens held by Hamas. These talks have for the first time been held directly, but official Egyptian sources have stressed that they hope these meetings will serve to establish "a long-term truce, allowing for further discussions and possibly direct talks".