Israeli president receives invitation to visit UAE

Israeli President Isaac Herzog has received an official invitation from Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed to visit the UAE, a statement from his office said.

Herzog spoke with Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi over the phone on Sunday, congratulating him on the UAE’s Independence Day, the statement said, adding that Herzog praised the "extraordinary achievements" made by the UAE since its founding 50-years-ago.

In response, Mohammed bin Zayed thanked the Israeli president, stating that he was looking forward to his visit to the Emirates, the statement said.

The pair praised the so-called Abraham accords, which established a normalisation agreement between both countries last year, the statement said.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett had also received an invitation to an official visit to the United Arab Emirates, according to Israeli media.

Israel and the UAE have signed a raft of deals - ranging from tourism and aviation to financial services - since normalising ties as part of the controversial agreement brokered by former US president Donald Trump's administration. 

The Palestinians and much of the Arab world were outraged by the UAE's decision to establish ties with Israel, which broke with decades of Arab consensus that there should be no normalisation of ties without a comprehensive and lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians.