Israeli minister says he met with ‘high ranking’ Emirati

JERUSALEM – Israel’s foreign minister says he recently met with a “high ranking persona” from the United Arab Emirates to improve ties between Israel and Arab states.

Israel Katz told a ministers’ meeting on Tuesday that the two reached “substantial agreements,” adding that he was working toward “transparent normalization and signed agreements” with Gulf states. He added: “We do not have a conflict with them.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has often boasted of improving ties with Arab states that share Israel’s concerns about Iran. Katz visited the UAE for a U.N. conference earlier this year. The Israeli Foreign Ministry said he met with a senior UAE official there. Netanyahu visited Oman last year.

Israel’s conflict with the Palestinians is still widely seen as an obstacle to publicly improving ties with Arab states.