Israel Police chief makes first official visit to the UAE

Israel Police Chief Kobi Shabtai landed in the United Arab Emirates yesterday, marking his first official visit to promote security cooperation initiatives between the two countries, the Jerusalem Post reported.

Shabtai is scheduled to meet with senior officials in the Emirati Interior Ministry, as well as the police commissioners of Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

The visit, coordinated by the Israel Police Foreign Affairs Unit, will aim to establish close professional relations with the Emirati police force. An Israeli police official will also be appointed to a permanent position in the UAE and will serve at the Israeli embassy in Abu Dhabi, the Israeli police statement read.

The official will be responsible for coordinating all police activity in the UAE, Africa and the Middle East.

In September 2020, the UAE and Israel signed a US-sponsored deal to normalise relations. Since then, the two countries have signed dozens of bilateral agreements in various fields, including investment, banking services and tourism.

Three other Arab states – Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan – joined the UAE in the controversial move that came to be known as the Abraham Accords.

The normalisation deals have drawn widespread condemnation from Palestinians, who say the accords ignore their rights and do not serve the Palestinian cause.

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