Netanyahu UAE Visit Could Include Saudi Prince

Speculation about Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s upcoming visit to the UAE percolated through ‏‏the Israeli news media on Wednesday, focusing on whom he might be meeting with besides the official host, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed al-Nahyan in Abu Dhabi.

The Kan public broadcaster reported “advanced contacts” on a sit-down with Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman while in the Emirates on Thursday.

Netanyahu flew to Saudi Arabia in November to meet with bin Salman, the first publicly reported meeting between the two, though neither Israel nor Saudi Arabia would confirm it. It was reported at the time that the PM had hoped to clinch normalization with the Saudis, but went home disappointed.

On Wednesday evening, Channel 13 said that Netanyahu may also be meeting there with Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok.

There were no details disclosed in either report.

Kan also reported Wednesday that Israel and the UAE have begun talks to allow entry to vaccinated travelers from the respective countries without quarantine. The goal is to waive the quarantine requirement for those vaccinated in April, according to the report.

Currently, only Georgia recognizes Israel’s “Green Pass.”

Agreements over the past month with Greece and Cyprus that would allow Green Pass holders to travel between the countries without quarantine or taking virus tests have so far not been formally implemented.