BICOM

Labour Party leader Avi Gabbay secretly visited the UAE for three days in December and held extensive talks with senior Emirati officials.

Israel’s Channel 10 News reported that Gabbay was invited to visit the country, which has no formal diplomatic ties with Israel, with the help of a Moroccan national. He was accompanied by journalist Henrique Cymerman who was also reportedly involved in organising the visit.

Gabbay discussed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, US President Donald Trump’s plan for Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, the Arab Peace Initiative, the threat posed by Iran and the political situation in Israel. Gabbay has refused to comment on the report but said he will soon present a diplomatic initiative for launching talks with the Palestinians and the Arab world.

During his stay in Abu Dhabi, Gabbay was provided with security by the local security services. Gabbay returned to Israel on 4 December and immediately briefed Mossad Director Yossi Cohen on his talks with senior officials in the UAE. It was also reported that Gabbay’s secret trip to the UAE was part of a series of meetings in the past year with senior figures in the Arab world, only some of which have been made public.

The visit is another sign of warming ties between Israel and Gulf states. In late October, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Oman at the invitation of Sultan Qaboos bin Said. At the same time, Culture Minister Miri Regev visited Abu Dhabi to attend a judo tournament and Communications Minister Ayoub Kara participated in an international telecommunications conference in Dubai. In early November, Israeli Transport Minister Yisrael Katz spoke to delegates at the World Congress of the International Road Transport Union in Muscat, Oman, and presented plans for a new railway to link the Mediterranean Sea to the Gulf.