UAE officials make first Israel visit

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During a ceremony near Tel Aviv on Tuesday, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States announced the $3 billion Abraham Fund to raise private money for cooperative development initiatives in the Middle East. “We are making history in a way that will stand for generations,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, pronouncing the name “Abraham” in Arabic, English, and Hebrew. “We will remember this day, a glorious day of peace.”

What prompted the announcement? Netanyahu and Emirati Finance Minister Obaid Humaid al-Tayer met at the Ben-Gurion Airport and signed several bilateral agreements encompassing civil aviation, visa exemptions, and science and technology deals. U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin attended the signing. Tuesday’s visit was the first since the United States brokered a deal normalizing relations between the UAE and Israel in August.

Dig deeper: Read Onize Ohikere’s report in World Tour about the series of historic agreements between Israel and Arab nations in recent months.

Rachel Lynn Aldrich

Rachel is a former assistant editor for WORLD Digital. She is a Patrick Henry College and World Journalism Institute graduate. Rachel resides with her husband in Wheaton, Ill.