Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday was formally invited to visit the United Arab Emirates, after months of delays in securing his first official trip to the Gulf country as premier.

An invitation was presented to the prime minister by UAE Ambassador to Israel Mohamed Al Khaja, who also delivered one during a separate meeting with President Isaac Herzog.

His office announced a trip to Abu Dhabi days after he began his sixth term as prime minister but the UAE canceled amid anger in Abu Dhabi over National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s visit to the Temple Mount.

A senior Arab diplomat told The Times of Israel earlier this year that the UAE decision in January to place Netanyahu’s visit on hold also came amid fears that the Israeli premier would use it to publicly threaten Iran while on Emirati soil. Abu Dhabi has been working as of late to ease tensions with Tehran and has sought to balance its nascent relationship with Jerusalem with its complex dealings with the Islamic Republic.

Source - TOI/Twitter - Image - Amos Ben Gershom/GPO