Prime Minister Yair Lapid invited Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed to eat at a non-kosher restaurant in Tel Aviv. The two had dinner last week as part of bin Zayed's official visit to Israel . Lapid's office kept the dinner a secret and did not publish a photo from the restaurant, perhaps because of the menu that includes shrimps and other kinds of non-kosher foods. Journalist Michael Shemesh reported in Kan 11 News on Tuesday that Lapid paid the restaurant bill in full from his own pocket. Lapid is not the first Prime Minister to eat at a non-kosher restaurant, but when this is done during an official visit to Israel of a personality from abroad, it is considered an exceptional case. Lapid's office said in response, "Prime Minister Yair Lapid hosted his good friend Sheikh Abdullah, the Emirati Foreign Minister, for dinner at his own expense in Tel Aviv. The Prime Minister will continue to work to strengthen and deepen the ties of the State of Israel with leaders around the world, and to promote Israel's position and image in the world."
