Prime Minister Naftali Bennett began the first official visit by an Israeli leader to the United Arab Emirates on Sunday, seeking to strengthen Gulf ties at a time of heightened regional tension as world powers try to revive a nuclear deal with Iran.

His trip is the first by an Israeli premier to any of those countries since the accords.

Bennett, a far-right politician who took office as the head of a broad Israeli coalition government in June, plans to hold talks on Monday with UAE's Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. 

The diplomatic outreach comes as world powers negotiate with Iran on salvaging a 2015 nuclear deal opposed by Israel and abandoned in 2018 by then-U.S. President Donald Trump.

Since August 2020, the UAE, followed by Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco, have moved to normalize ties with Israel.

(With input from Reuters) 

(Cover: Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett chairs the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, Israel, December 12, 2021. /Reuters)