24 May 2023; MEMO: The UAE has invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog to attend the UN climate conference COP28, which is taking place in Dubai in November.
According to Israeli media, the UAE Ambassador to Israel, Mohammad Al-Khaja, handed a letter to Netanyahu from Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan officially inviting him to participate in the conference along with other world leaders. The letter conveyed the greetings of Bin Zayed and Vice President Mohammed Bin Rashid, the ruler of Dubai, along with their wishes for progress, peace and prosperity for Israel and its people.
Last month, the UAE said that Bin Zayed received a phone call from Netanyahu discussing mutual relations and ways to reinforce them. However, Netanyahu claimed that Bin Zayed initiated the call to congratulate him and the Israelis on the Jewish Passover festival.
The UAE cancelled a deal in March to buy sensitive military equipment from Israel apparently in protest against the provocative actions of Religious Zionist ministers involved in the desecration of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem.
