UAE Ambassador Tells Smotrich: We Will Deepen Relationship With Israel

The United Arab Emirates’s Ambassador to Israel, Mohamed Al Khaja, met with Religious Zionism leader MK Betzalel Smotrich on Wednesday.

According to a post from Smotrich, the two met at his office for “an introductory meeting.”

“We discussed the good relations between the countries and the great potential of deepening the economic cooperation between us for the benefit of the entire region,” Smotrich wrote. “This is what true peace looks like.”

This comes after Al Khaja was photographed greeting Otzma Yehudit leader MK Itamar Ben-Gvir earlier this month. Ben-Gvir made an appearance at the UAE’s 51st National Day event in Tel Aviv, apparently at the ambassador’s request.

All this comes despite reports prior to the November election that Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed apparently expressed concerns to Prime Minister-designate Binyamin Netanyahu about the inclusion of the far-right parties in the government.