Israeli President Isaac Herzog arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday morning, kicking off the first-ever Israeli presidential visit to the country.
The president and his wife, Michal, were welcomed at the airport by Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
The Israeli president and Sheikh Al Nahyan then held a working meeting.
Al Nahyan headed the Emirati delegation at the signing of the Abraham Accords at the White House in September 2020.
Before taking off from Ben-Gurion International Airport, Herzog said, “I am bringing with me a blessing of peace and a message of peace to the entire region, to the peoples of the region. Peace brings with it prosperity, progress, and growth for the benefit of the peoples of the region.”
Herzog highlighted the courage of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for “carving out a peace agreement with Israel and sending a message to the entire region that peace is the only alternative for the peoples of the region.”
The president will visit both Abu Dhabi and Dubai during his visit.
During his trip, he will also conduct official meetings with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rahsid Al Maktoum, vice president, prime minister and defense minister of the UAE, and ruler of Dubai; Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, commissioner-general of Expo 2020 Dubai and UAE minister of tolerance and coexistence; and representatives of the business sector and Jewish community.
En route to the UAE, Herzog’s plane crossed over Saudi Arabia. Herzog entered the cockpit to view the Saudi landscape, calling it “truly a very moving moment,” according to a statement from his office.
