Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, says the UAE welcomes recent Israeli engagement with the Palestinian Authority.
He was speaking at a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid at the US State Department on Wednesday.
“The Palestinians are going to be the most important element of the success of peace in the region,” Sheikh Abdullah said.
“I’m quite excited to see that in the last few weeks, Israeli ministers are starting to meet with the PA. This is a good start.”
Sheikh Abdullah said he would soon visit Israel to look for new ways to broaden co-operation between the countries more than a year after the signing of the Abraham Accords.
Mr Lapid “was kind enough to invite me to visit Israel and I’m going to visit soon to meet a friend – but also a partner”, Sheikh Abdullah said in response to a question from The National.
“We need to not only celebrate this relationship, but look at new venues of co-operation.”
He suggested climate change projects that use Israeli and Emirati technology could be one such area.
The three diplomats discussed several issues, including Iran, with Mr Blinken saying time is running out for Tehran to return to compliance in the 2015 nuclear deal.
“The runway that we have left to do that [return to the deal] is getting shorter and shorter,” Mr Blinken said.
When asked if a military option was under consideration, Mr Blinken said diplomacy was the preferred course.
“We are prepared to turn to other options if Iran doesn’t change course,” he said.
His comments were echoed by Mr Lapid.
“Other options are going to be on the table if diplomacy fails. And by saying other options, I think everybody understands here in Israel, in the Emirates and Tehran what it is that we mean,” he said.
US President Joe Biden’s special envoy for Iran, Robert Malley, will travel to the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar to discuss stalled negotiations aimed at reviving the nuclear deal.
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
2.0
Director: S Shankar
Producer: Lyca Productions; presented by Dharma Films
Cast: Rajnikanth, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Sudhanshu Pandey
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
History's medical milestones
1799 - First small pox vaccine administered
1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery
1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases
1895 - Discovery of x-rays
1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time
1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin
1953 - Structure of DNA discovered
1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place
1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill
1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.
1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Biog
Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India
2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
THE BIO
BIO:
Born in RAK on December 9, 1983
Lives in Abu Dhabi with her family
She graduated from Emirates University in 2007 with a BA in architectural engineering
Her motto in life is her grandmother’s saying “That who created you will not have you get lost”
Her ambition is to spread UAE’s culture of love and acceptance through serving coffee, the country’s traditional coffee in particular.
