Netanyahu tells UAE Jewish community leaders 'I hope to visit you soon'

"We stand on the brink of a historic era of peace for peace...of peace that has grown and expanded between Israel and the Arab world," Netanyahu said.

By TOBIAS SIEGAL
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holding a Zoom meeting with the heads of the UAE Jewish community, August 20, 2020.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a meeting via Zoom on Thursday with prominent members of the Jewish community in the United Arab Emirates and expressed his desire to visit the UAE in the near future.
"This is a very big day for the State of Israel and the Jewish nation. We stand on the brink of a historic era of peace for peace - of Peace between Israel and the United Arab Emirates - of peace that has grown and expanded between Israel and the Arab world. This kind of peace is good for the State of Israel. It's good for our nation and it's good for our neighboring nations," Netanyahu said.
"I hope to visit you soon, as soon as this year. If we overcome the coronavirus pandemic by then, I'm willing to shake your hands as well. Thank you and many greetings from Jerusalem," Netanyahu said at the end of the meeting.
Netanyahu left the coronavirus cabinet meeting on Thursday evening several times, while apologizing to the ministers and saying that it's a matter of "national interest," which is the same remark he made before announcing the historic Israel-UAE peace deal last week. 
After the deal was announced, Israel's Diaspora Affairs Minister Omer Yankelevitch reached out to the United Arab Emirate Jewish community, consisting of 1,500 people, which lead to Thursday's meeting.
"The political agreement is big news for Israel, but also for the local Jewish community there, which has for many years been isolated and detached from the State of Israel and the global Jewish activities of the Diaspora Ministry," Yankelevitch wrote following her meeting earlier this week.
Celia Jean contributed to this report.


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