Shas Chairman Aryeh Deri arrived on an official visit to the United Arab Emirates, as a guest of the Emirati Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed. The invitation to visit was extended to Deri over a year ago, but he turned it down due to the outbreak of war. Deri's invitation came against the backdrop of the UAE's desire to approach moderate elements in the Israeli government as part of discussions ahead of the day after in Gaza.