Israeli president departs for historic visit to UAE

Israeli President Isaac Herzog and First Lady Michal Herzog departed Sunday morning for the United Arab Emirates in the first visit by an Israeli president at the invitation of the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Report informs via the Jerusalem Post.

Herzog will visit Abu Dhabi and Dubai and conduct meetings with a number of officials.

"I am bringing with me a blessing of peace and a message of peace to the entire region, to the peoples of the region. Peace brings with it prosperity, progress, and growth for the benefit of the peoples of the region," said Herzog before taking off.

The presidency in Israel is a largely ceremonial post. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett visited the UAE in December. Herzog is the first Israeli president to pay an official visit to the UAE.

The UAE, along with Bahrain, signed US-brokered normalization agreements with Israel, dubbed the "Abraham Accords", at the White House in 2020.