The UAE has been a part of a renewed effort by multiple countries to push for a political resolution to the situation in Syria, where fighting has killed more than 250,000 people since March 2011.
The most recent meetings involving the U.S. and other world powers in Vienna ended November 13 with a pledge to try to bring the Syrian government and opposition together for U.N.-mediated talks by January. Two previous rounds of peace talks in early 2014 ended with no real progress.
UAE jets have also conducted airstrikes as part of a U.S.-led coalition in Syria targeting Islamic State militants who have controlled parts of that country and Iraq for more than a year.
Kerry`s visit to Israel will be his first in more than a year, and will involve meetings in both Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and in Ramallah with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.
He is expected to discuss measures that could reduce the recent spike in Israeli-Palestinian tensions and urge both sides to exercise restraint.
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