Herzog to make first-ever state visit to Bahrain

Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter

President Isaac Herzog departs Israel for the COP27 UN Climate Change Conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, November 7, 2022. (Haim Zach/GPO)
President Isaac Herzog departs Israel for the COP27 UN Climate Change Conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, November 7, 2022. (Haim Zach/GPO)

President Isaac Herzog is heading to the Gulf next month to meet with the leaders of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, his office announces.

The president is slated to take off for a state visit to Bahrain on December 4,  at the invitation of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

He will be the first Israeli head of state to visit Bahrain. In January, Herzog visited Abu Dhabi and Dubai in a two-day visit.

He will meet with members of the local Jewish community and senior government officials, and will lead a group of Israeli businesspeople to meet with the Bahrain Economic Development Board.

The next day, Herzog heads to the UAE to meet with his Emirati counterpart Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Abu Dhabi ruler known colloquially as MBZ.  This will be the fourth meeting between the two leaders.

Herzog will also attend the Abu Dhabi Space Debate.

According to Herzog’s office, the leaders will discuss “strengthening Israel-UAE relations, the importance of peace, and the expansion of bilateral cooperation.”

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