UAE FM meets Israeli opposition party leader Yair Lapid amid Gaza war
The top UAE diplomat met with the main Israeli opposition leader as the war in Gaza amplifies with the threat of a Rafah invasion looming.
Emirati foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed met with the leader of the Israeli opposition party Yesh Atid, Yair Lapid, during a UAE visit, the Gulf country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Thursday.
The UAE is one of three Arab countries that have normalized relations with Israel, but has strived to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since its escalation on October 7.
The UAE has reiterated its support for Gaza through numerous statements, aid deliveries, and diplomatic efforts at global forums, including the United Nations.
Sheikh Abdullah and Lapid discussed the “worsening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip,” the statement from the UAE government said.
The UAE minister reportedly cited the importance of finding a political solution to the seven-month-long crisis and making way for a two-state solution that would see an independent Palestinian state.
The latter is widely supported by global powers, including Israel’s top ally, the US. However, the Israeli government and the Iran-backed Palestinian militant group Hamas have brushed aside this possibility.
Sheikh Abdullah also discussed the importance of a ceasefire and avoiding an expansion of the conflict region-wide. The Emirati official reiterated the importance of providing humanitarian aid to the displaced and injured Palestinians.
In a social media post following the meeting, Lapid said, in Hebrew, the release of hostages must be “urgent” and that “any country in the region can influence the deal.”
“Israel has an interest in creating, together with the United Arab Emirates and moderate Arab countries, political and economic cooperation that can offer solutions to global problems and deal with regional threats of all kinds,” he added.
The meeting comes after Lapid met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Tel Aviv and discussed efforts to establish a hostage deal.
