Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer visited the United Arab Emirates over the weekend and met with the country’s foreign minister and deputy prime minister, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
The two men discussed the wars against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon and plans for the Gaza Strip after the war ends, a source told Axios reporter Barak Ravid.
There was no comment from Dermer’s office, Ravid wrote.
The Abraham Accords normalized relations between Israel and the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan in the fall of 2020, and despite criticisms from Abu Dhabi of Jerusalem’s conduct during its war against Iranian-back terrorist groups, a senior Emirati official said late last month that normalization is not at risk.
Hope has also been renewed about Saudi Arabi and other Muslim-majority countries establishing diplomatic ties with the Jewish state following the reelection in the United States of Donald Trump. During Trump’s first term as president, his son-in-law and then-adviser Jared Kushner helped broker the Abraham Accords, and Kushner is expected to play an advisory role during his second term.
Dermer has been busy working diplomatic channels in Moscow and Washington in recent weeks as a potential ceasefire agreement in Lebanon takes shape ahead of Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20.
Dermer met with Trump at his Florida estate on Nov. 10.
Last Sunday’s discussions at Mar-a-Lago centered on a posited Israeli ceasefire in Lebanon that involves Western and Russian cooperation. Dermer secretly visited Russia last week for follow-up discussions, after Russian officials visited Israel on Oct. 27 to discuss the proposal.
While with Trump, Dermer also reportedly conveyed messages from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and discussed Israel’s plans in Gaza, Iran and Israeli-Saudi normalization.
Following his meetings in Florida with Trump and Kushner, Dermer headed to Washington to meet on Monday and Tuesday with Biden administration officials, including Amos Hochstein, the president’s special envoy to Lebanon.
