Opposition Leader Lapid meets with Emirati FM in Italy

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid has met Emirati Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Italy.

The two met for some three hours at the request of the Emiratis, Hebrew media reports. They previously met last year, when Lapid served as prime minister.

Notably, the meeting takes place though United Arab Emirates officials have not yet met with any member of Benjamin Netanyahu’s hard-right cabinet.

Netanyahu has repeatedly planned visits to the UAE since returning to office only to have them canceled for various reasons. Abu Dhabi is thought to be unhappy with the direction of the current Israeli government and its far-right elements.

Lapid says the two discussed strategic cooperation between the countries and joint projects.

לבקשת איחוד האמירויות: לפיד נפגש עם שר החוץ, נתניהו עדיין מחכה לביקורhttps://t.co/f47ac3sze8 pic.twitter.com/cldvVRASEz

— ynet עדכוני (@ynetalerts) August 8, 2023

“I was happy to meet my friend Abdullah bin Zayed. Together we laid the groundwork for relations between the countries, and we’ll continue to work together to deepen our joint interests and relations.”