Katz met with UAE official and Guterres; FM promoting “Railways to Regional Peace” initiative to build a railway from Haifa to Jordan and Saudi Arabia; Katz: Visit represents a significant escalation in the relationship between Israel and countries in the region.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz visited Abu Dhabi on Monday in the most recent “escalation in the relationship between Israel and countries in the region.” Katz was in the United Arab Emirates to attend the UN Climate Change Summit where he held a meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. He also met with a senior UAE official. Their meeting centered on “regional issues and relations between the two countries, as well as the Iranian nuclear threat, its missile development program, its support of regional terrorism, and Iranian violence against regional interests.”
Katz promoted the “Railways to Regional Peace” initiative, a proposed trade route between Europe, the Persian Gulf, and Israel, to include railway tracks from Haifa to Jordan, Jenin (West Bank) and Saudi Arabia. The Israeli initiative will also attempt to branch out to other regional states.
On his historic visit to Abu Dhabi, Katz stated, “I am excited to represent the interests of the State of Israel vis-a-vis the Gulf States here in Abu Dhabi. This represents a significant escalation in the relationship between Israel and countries in the region. Together with Prime Minister Netanyahu, I will continue to promote the policy of normalization from power that we are leading, based on Israel’s capabilities in the fields of security and intelligence as well as in various civilian spheres.”
“I view this as one of my major challenges as minister of foreign affairs, and I intend to promote this policy in the future as well,” he added.
