Israeli Sports and Culture Minister Miri Regev visited Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque on Sunday, at the invitation of "an official representative of the United Arab Emirates."
In a video shared on her official Facebook page, in which she can be seen donning the traditional abaya and veil at the mosque, the minister says she is "the first senior Israeli figure" to visit the iconic landmark.
While the UAE does not have diplomatic ties with Israel, Regev joined the delegation accompanying the Israeli team that participated in the Abu Dhabi Judo Grand Slam.
In her Facebook post, Regev explained that she received an official invitation to visit the mosque.
"Finishing an exciting and powerful visit to Abu Dhabi that brought respect and pride to the state of Israel," she wrote, adding that she signed the mosque's guestbook in Hebrew.
According to multiple news outlets, Regev had previously referred to the Islamic call to prayer as the sound of the "crying dogs of Muhammad (Prophet Muhammad)."
This comes days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited another Gulf country, Oman, to meet with its ruler, Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said. According to Netanyahu, the leaders discussed "very important talks for Israel's security."
The Israeli anthem was played at the Abu Dhabi Judo Grand Slam
The UAE had previously banned athletes from officially representing Israel in the competitions it hosted. The Israeli flag did not appear during medal ceremonies and the national anthem was not played for Israeli winners.
However, after the International Judo Federation threatened to cancel the Grand Slam event, the UAE agreed to allow Israelis to participate under their national flag this year.
The event thus saw the Israeli anthem be played in the UAE for the first time when Israel's Sagi Muki won gold.
The recent events have drawn mixed reactions, with some hailing them as "good news"
"Everybody is welcome in the UAE"
Meanwhile, others disagree
"What a shame"
"I choose to say a thousand 'nos' to normalization with the Israeli enemy"
"Visits by teams, officials and ministers from the Israeli enemy to Gulf capitals are heartbreaking. If governments see it necessary to welcome them, people still have choices, and I choose to say a thousand 'nos' to normalization with the Israeli enemy."
"This is what they call complete normalization"
