Today, Monday, Israel announced that its foreign minister, Yair Lapid, will arrive in the UAE next Tuesday, on an official visit, during which he will open the embassy in Abu Dhabi and the consulate in Dubai, while an Israeli channel announced the opening of an office in Dubai.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Lapid's visit is the first by an Israeli foreign minister to the UAE, adding that he will be a guest of Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed.
On September 15, the UAE and Bahrain signed two agreements to normalize relations with Israel, in a ceremony held at the White House with the participation of former US President Donald Trump.
New Middle East
In the same context, the i24NEWS news channel announced the opening of a permanent office in Dubai, in a first step for an Israeli media outlet, with the aim of showing the "new Middle East," she said.
The channel, owned by billionaire Patrick Drahy, announced today, Monday, agreements to enhance its presence in the UAE, including the exchange of content with the publisher of the English-language daily Gulf News, and the announcements of the UAE Ministry of Tourism in English, French and Arabic.
#i24NEWS has signed a series of cooperation agreements with leading companies in the #UAE.https://t.co/kkJ2agmHCb
— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) June 21, 2021
"Opening an office in Dubai Media City gives us a strategic platform to expand our coverage in the Middle East from the heart of the region's media industry," said Frank Malloul, CEO of i24news.
On the other hand, the Director-General of the Dubai Government Media Office, Mona Al-Marri, welcomed "the cooperation between the media sectors in the UAE and Israel."
For his part, Majid Al Suwaidi, Director of Dubai Media City, said that the opening of the i24 News office in the city - which includes several media outlets - will add "to the global diversity of media" that is commensurate with "the efforts made to enhance the position of the UAE as a major center for global media."
The aggression on Gaza
Last month witnessed a new Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip, which lasted for 11 days, during which 260 Palestinians, including children, were killed. The occupation forces also bombed the Al-Jalaa Tower in the Strip, where the office of Al-Jazeera and other international networks are located.
The normalization agreements signed by Israel with the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan angered the Palestinians, who described them as a "betrayal" and a breach of the Arab consensus that made resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict a condition for peace with Israel.
But on the ground, relations expanded; It included the exchange of ambassadors between the Emirates and Israel, and witnessed an increase in the visits of trade delegations, and the first Emirati student was registered in an Israeli university.