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Israel’s ultra-Orthodox party leader arrives in UAE for ‘bilateral’ talks: Report

January 22, 2025 at 8:57 am

Aryeh Deri, leader of the Shas party, arrives for a swearing in ceremony of the new government at the Knesset in Jerusalem, Israel, on Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022. [Kobi Wolf/Bloomberg/Getty Images]

Chairman of the Israel’s ultra-Orthodox Shas Party, Aryeh Deri, arrived earlier this week in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on a “secret” visit as a guest of the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Abdullah Bin Zayed, the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation Kan 11 reported yesterday.

Deri said in a statement after the KAN report that he received an official invitation “more than a year ago, but he delayed the visit because of Israel’s war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.”

During the visit, he discussed with senior Emirati officials “strengthening and deepening bilateral relations, in addition to a number of regional issues,”, the statement added.

According to the KAN report, Deri also discussed with the UAE foreign minister the post-war period in Gaza, including ways to rebuild the Strip and continue implementing the prisoner exchange agreement.

Earlier this month, Reuters reported that the UAE has discussed with Israel and the United States participating in a provisional administration of post-war Gaza until a reformed Palestinian Authority is able to take charge.

Reuters quoted “informed” Western diplomats and officials as saying that the behind- the- scenes talks discussed the possibility of the UAE and the United States, along with other nations, temporarily overseeing the governance, security and reconstruction of Gaza after the Israeli occupation’s military withdraws and until a Palestinian administration is able to take over.

“The UAE will not participate in any plan that fails to include significant reform of the Palestinian Authority, its empowerment, and the establishment of a credible roadmap toward a Palestinian state,” a UAE official told Reuters, in response to questions about the discussions.

“These elements – which are currently lacking – are essential for the success of any post-Gaza plan.”

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