Israel’s spy chief visits UAE for talks

Aug 18, 2020

The head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence service arrived in the United Arab Emirates today, Emirati media reported, in what marked the first high-profile visit since the two countries agreed to normalize ties last week. 

National Security Adviser Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan received Mossad chief Yossi Cohen, whom he praised for contributing “to the success of the peace accord between the UAE and Israel,” the official Emirati WAM news agency said today.

“The two sides discussed prospects for cooperation in the fields of security as well as exchanged points of view on regional developments and on issues of common interest,” WAM reported. 

According to the Times of Israel, a larger delegation from Israel is expected to arrive in Abu Dhabi later this week. 

Cohen is the first high-level Israeli official to visit the UAE since the announcement of a United States-brokered agreement last week in which Israel agreed to hold off on annexation of large portions of the West Bank in return for cooperation with the UAE on trade, tourism, security and other areas of mutual interest. 

The deal makes the UAE the third country, after Egypt and Jordan, to normalize diplomatic relations with the Jewish state. The two countries are expected to finalize the deal in the coming weeks.

Cohen reportedly played a key role in the UAE-Israel negotiations. Last week, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the Mossad chief to thank him for his agency’s help “in developing the ties with the Gulf states over the years, which assisted in bringing the peace treaty to fruition,” a statement from Netanyahu’s office said.