Iran Press/Middle East: Meetings held to prepare for Emirati foreign minister and Israeli prime minister to make surprise visits to the Occupied Lands and United Arab Emirates respectively.
According to a report published in Middle East Eye website Emirati and Israeli officials traveled together on a direct flight from Abu-Dhabi to Tel Aviv late on Thursday.
The private jet marked as '9H-VCL' flew from Abu Dhabi airport through Saudi airspace, without stopping in Jordan as it is customary, and landed in 'Ben Gurion' airport in Tel Aviv.
Screenshot of Flightradar24 website shows Jet 9H-VCL flying directly from Abu Dhabi to Tel Aviv on 17 January
Israeli security figures were returning from a secret trip to Abu Dhabi to prepare for “a surprise visit” of the United Arab Emirates' foreign minister Abdullah bin Zayed to Tel Aviv.
According to UAE security officials, UAE foreign minister's visit to Israel will be followed by a visit to Abu Dhabi by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The sources added that a Saudi “green light” was given to the UAE for these visits, as Riyadh is keen to normalize ties with Israel officially and is preparing a meeting in Washington that would gather Netanyahu with US President Donald Trump and the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Kamal Khatib, deputy head of the Islamic Movement in Israel, told the Arabi 21 news site that two Emirati officials were UAE foreign minister and head of UAE intelligence agency, Tahnoun bin Zayed.
This week, Netanyahu revealed that as the 21st chief of Israel army's general staff since 2015, he meets Arab army's commanders during his four-year term.
Netanyahu's remarks come as Middle East Eye reported last week that Mossad director Yossi Cohen attended a meeting in a Persian Gulf country in early December with senior intelligence officials from the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, with whom he discussed measures to curtail the regional influence of Turkey and Iran.
Last week it was also reported that the leader of Israel’s Labor Party, Avi Gabbay, secretly visited Abu Dhabi in early December and met with senior officials there.
The UAE, like most Arab countries, does not have official diplomatic ties with Israel and does not officially recognize it, but like Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia are developing their relations.
Netanyahu also visited Oman, which does not recognize Israel, in November, and was hosted in Muscat by Sultan Qaboos.
Also Israeli Minister of Sport and Culture Miri Regev travelled to the UAE in October to attend a judo tournament in which an Israeli competitor was allowed to compete under Israel's flag and sing its anthem for the first time in the country.
It was the first time an Israeli minister made an official visit to the Emirates.
Israeli Energy minister Yuval Steinitz visit to Cairo late on Sunday 13 Jan 2019 following an invitation from Cairo to attend a regional forum on natural gas was the last time an Israeli official visited an Arab country.
Last week, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi admitted his country was cooperating with Israel against various armed groups in the Sinai Peninsula.
Saudi Arabia's crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, met with several Jewish groups and pro-Israel lobbies during a trip to the US last year and went so far as to declare that Israel had the right to its own land alongside Palestinians.
Despite the warm official ties that Israel has developed with some Persian Gulf states, the 2017-2018 Arab Opinion Index poll conducted by the Doha Institute indicated that 90 percent of Arabs believe that Israel "poses a threat to the security and stability of the region". 101/ 211 / 205
More News:
Israeli minister visits Egypt following Cairo request
Malaysia bans entry of Israeli Paralympic athletes
Sisi admits military cooperation between Egypt and Israel
