Jerusalem, Undefined — Israel’s opposition leader said Friday he met with the United Arab Emirates foreign minister in Abu Dhabi and discussed efforts for a ceasefire in Gaza.
The UAE normalized ties with Israel in 2020 as part of the US-brokered Abraham Accords. Abu Dhabi also has close ties with Washington, which has been pushing for an end to the war that erupted with the Hamas attack of October 2023.
Opposition chief Yair Lapid posted a photograph of himself with Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan on X, writing: “With my friend, Emirati Foreign Minister ABZ, last (Thursday) night in Abu Dhabi.
“We discussed developments in the region and efforts toward an agreement in Gaza and the return of the hostages.”
The UAE official news agency WAM confirmed that Lapid met with Sheikh Abdullah, but made no mention of any meeting with the UAE’s president, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who Lapid said he had also met in Abu Dhabi in an earlier post on X.
WAM said Lapid and Sheikh Abdullah discussed bilateral ties and regional developments including efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza.
In a post on X, Lapid shared an extract from an interview with Sky News Arabia in which he said: “Everyone who has influence, every Arab country, every country in the region should do its best to push Hamas to accept the agreement.
“It is for the good of the people of Gaza. It’s for the good of the people of Israel. It’s for the good of the hostages, of course, and it’s also for the good of the entire region,” he added.
Hamas said it was holding consultations with other Palestinian groups on a truce proposal on Friday, in a possible sign it was preparing for negotiations for a ceasefire.
Earlier in the week, US President Donald Trump urged Hamas to agree to a 60-day ceasefire that he said had Israel’s backing.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due in Washington on Monday.
The Hamas attack of October 2023 resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.
Out of 251 hostages seized by Palestinian militants during the assault, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.
Israel’s military campaign, called as genocidal by many, has killed at least 57,130 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry. The United Nations considers its figures reliable.
