UAE officials: Relations with Israel won’t change despite invite to World Expo in Dubai

Emirati officials tell the Kan public broadcaster that even though Israel will be participating in World Expo in Dubai next year, this does not indicate a change in the diplomatic relations between the two countries.

“The invitation to participate does not signal a change in relations between the UAE and Israel, in the diplomatic arena, or any other area,” the organizers tell Kan.

Last week, the Foreign Ministry announced that Israel will participate in the 2020 Expo in Dubai, in what was seen as another sign of warming relations with Gulf Arab states.

Despite their lack of diplomatic relations, Sunni Arab states, such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE, have quietly inched closer to Israel, seeing it as a key ally in rolling back their common adversary, Iran.

Over the past months, Israel’s backdoor relations with former Arab foes have increasingly entered public view.