UAE FM meets Israeli opposition party leader Yair Lapid amid Gaza war

The top UAE diplomat met with the main Israeli opposition leader as the war in Gaza amplifies with the threat of a Rafah invasion looming.

Emirati foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed met with the leader of the Israeli opposition party Yesh Atid, Yair Lapid, during a UAE visit, the Gulf country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Thursday.

The UAE is one of three Arab countries that have normalized relations with Israel, but has strived to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since its escalation on October 7.

The UAE has reiterated its support for Gaza through numerous statements, aid deliveries, and diplomatic efforts at global forums, including the United Nations.

Sheikh Abdullah and Lapid discussed the “worsening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip,” the statement from the UAE government said.

The UAE minister reportedly cited the importance of finding a political solution to the seven-month-long crisis and making way for a two-state solution that would see an independent Palestinian state.