Bennett Receives Invitation to Visit UAE

Mohamed Al Khaja, the UAE's Ambassador to Israel, hands an invitation to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to visit the country. (Mohamed Al Khaja's Twitter)
Mohamed Al Khaja, the UAE's Ambassador to Israel, hands an invitation to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to visit the country. (Mohamed Al Khaja's Twitter)
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Bennett Receives Invitation to Visit UAE

Mohamed Al Khaja, the UAE's Ambassador to Israel, hands an invitation to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to visit the country. (Mohamed Al Khaja's Twitter)
Mohamed Al Khaja, the UAE's Ambassador to Israel, hands an invitation to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to visit the country. (Mohamed Al Khaja's Twitter)

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced on Tuesday that he received an invitation letter from Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to visit the United Arab Emirates.

The invitation was extended by UAE Ambassador to Tel Aviv Mohamed Al Khaja on behalf of the Crown Prince during a meeting at the PM’s office in Jerusalem.

The meeting was attended by Bahraini Ambassador Khalid Al Jalahma.

Bennett and the ambassadors discussed means of expanding ties between Israel and the two Gulf States, in addition to regional cooperation and strengthening the Abraham Accords.

"The stronger the bond between our countries, the stronger the security and stability in the entire region,” the Israeli PM said.

Al Khaja was appointed the UAE's first ambassador to Israel in February.

On Monday, the foreign ministers of Israel, the United Arab Emirates, India and the US held a meeting to bolster coordination.

The office of Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said the minister held a meeting with his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in West Jerusalem, while US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan participated through a Zoom call.

Following the meeting, Lapid said he agreed with his counterparts to establish a forum for economic cooperation.

He tweeted that during the meeting, the ministers "decided to establish an international forum for economic cooperation."



Syria’s Leader Meets with Bahraini Diplomatic Delegation

The leader of Syria's new administration, Ahmed al-Sharaa meets Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdul Latif Al-Zayani in Damascus, Syria, January 8, 2025. (Bahrain News Agency/Handout via Reuters)
The leader of Syria's new administration, Ahmed al-Sharaa meets Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdul Latif Al-Zayani in Damascus, Syria, January 8, 2025. (Bahrain News Agency/Handout via Reuters)
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Syria’s Leader Meets with Bahraini Diplomatic Delegation

The leader of Syria's new administration, Ahmed al-Sharaa meets Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdul Latif Al-Zayani in Damascus, Syria, January 8, 2025. (Bahrain News Agency/Handout via Reuters)
The leader of Syria's new administration, Ahmed al-Sharaa meets Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdul Latif Al-Zayani in Damascus, Syria, January 8, 2025. (Bahrain News Agency/Handout via Reuters)

Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa received a delegation from Bahrain on Wednesday and met with the Bahraini foreign minister, state media reported.

The visit was the latest in a flurry of diplomatic overtures by Arab countries to Syria’s new leaders after they overthrew former President Bashar al-Assad in a lightning rebel offensive.

Like other Gulf countries, Bahrain had cut off diplomatic ties with Syria under Assad’s rule during the Syrian civil war, but it reopened its embassy in Damascus in 2018 and gradually restored ties with the Assad government.

Bahrain is the current head of the Arab summit, and days after Assad’s ouster it had sent a message to al-Sharaa offering its cooperation with the new authorities and saying, “We look forward to Syria regaining its authentic role in the Arab League.”