(Bloomberg) — Israeli President Isaac Herzog will travel to the United Arab Emirates next week to meet with its de facto ruler, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in the first official visit to the Gulf nation by an Israeli head of state.
Herzog will also meet with the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, during his two-day visit beginning Jan. 30, and open Israel’s national day at the Dubai Expo.
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Herzog, whose role is largely ceremonial, has been in contact with several Arab leaders whose relations with Israel had been strained during the governments of former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Since his election to the largely ceremonial role last year, Herzog has held conversations or met with the heads of state of Jordan, Egypt and Turkey, and the chairman of the Palestinian Authority.
His visit will take place a few weeks after Naftali Bennett became the first Israeli prime minister to pay an official visit to the UAE, around 18 months after the countries normalized diplomatic ties under a U.S.-brokered agreement.
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