Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received a long-awaited invitation from Emirati authorities to attend the COP28 United Nations climate conference in November.
President Isaac Herzog of Israel and a number of other world leaders, including Syrian President Bashar Assad, as well as the leaders of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, were also invited to the COP28 conference in Dubai.
Netanyahu thanked the Emiratis for their kindness, but the Israelis did not accept the invitation right away.
Netanyahu had hoped for a high-profile bilateral visit, but the invitation falls short of that.
Although the Israeli leader has established official connections with the UAE as part of the 2020 Abraham Accords, mending relations between the two nations, a trip to the Gulf Arab nation would still provide a significant boost.
Although Netanyahu has consistently sought stronger ties with Arab nations in the region, he has not yet paid an official visit to the UAE since the agreements were reached.
Israel’s longest-serving leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, has aimed to re-enter the international spotlight on the global stage.
He has traveled on official business to Italy, Germany, and Britain since taking office late last year.
His right-wing government had intended for him to travel to the UAE soon after taking office, but the trip was postponed after Itamar Ben-Gvir, the minister of national security, paid a visit to the Jerusalem complex known to Jews as the Temple Mount in January.
Muslims’ Al-Aqsa Mosque compound is located in the same place.
These trips are frequently seen as provocations that can spark new conflicts between Israelis and Palestinians.
At the time, the UAE denounced Ben-Gvir’s activities.
On Sunday, he returned to the location and declared Israel to be “in charge,” prompting more criticism from the United States, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Turkey, Qatar, Jordan, and Egypt.
Close allies have repeatedly criticized Netanyahu for his collaboration with far-right individuals like Ben-Gvir.
He is still not allowed to come to the United States. Some saw President Joe Biden’s presence in Washington as a slight on the White House.
The Israeli government’s efforts to reform Israel’s judicial system as well as Israel’s settlement activities in the occupied West Bank have drawn criticism from the United States.
The government has stated that he will probably get an invitation at some point.
Bashar Assad, the president of Syria, who has endured international isolation as a result of his nation’s civil conflict, has also been invited after rejoining the Arab League after a 12-year suspension.
Each year, the U.N. Keeping nations accountable for their commitments to reduce carbon emissions is the goal of climate talks. Sultan al-Jaber, the president and chief executive officer of the state oil firm of the United Arab Emirates, will be the host of the talks in Dubai in November.
The decision to hold the climate summit in the oil-rich emirate and in al-Jaber has come under fire from a number of environmental organizations and activists.
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