Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, accompanied by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyanin, speaks at a joint news conference at the State Department in Washington, U.S., October 13, 2021. Andrew Harnik/Pool via REUTERS

i24 News – Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan has invited Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett for an official visit to the United Arab Emirates.

The invitation letter was extended by UAE Ambassador to Israel Mohamed Al Khaja, who met Bennett at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem on Tuesday.

The meeting was also attended by Bahraini Ambassador to Israel Khalid Al Jalahma.

During the meeting, Bennett and the ambassadors discussed expanding ties between the countries, regional cooperation and strengthening the Abraham Accords, with the Israeli premier saying: “The stronger the bond between our countries, the stronger the security and stability in the entire region.”

The state visit will be the first by an Israeli prime minister since the establishment of diplomatic relations last year as part of the Abraham Accords.

Former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who participated in the White House signing ceremony September of 2020, made several unsuccessful attempts to visit the UAE while he was in office.

The Abraham Accords originally included the UAE and Bahrain, with the later additions of Morocco and Sudan.