Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan, the president of the United Arab Emirates, died on Friday at the age of 73, according to state news agencies.
Since 2004, Sheikh Khalifa has served as the Gulf country’s second president.
He is credited with bringing the United Arab Emirates, a modest desert sheikhdom with seven emirates, to international prominence and guiding the country through the 2008 financial crisis.
“The Ministry of Presidential Affairs expresses its condolences to the people of the United Arab Emirates, the Arab and Islamic nations, and the rest of the world on the passing of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates,” according to a statement from state news agency WAM.
“The Ministry of Presidential Affairs also declared that the UAE will observe a forty-day state of mourning beginning today, with the flag flying at half-mast and all ministries, departments, federal, local, and private institutions suspending work for three days,” WAM wrote in a tweet.
In the wake of deadly attacks in Israel, Israel has increased raids. In attacks in Israel and the West Bank that have largely targeted civilians, Palestinians and members of Israel’s Arab minority have killed 18 people, including three police officers and a security guard, since March.
Some of the attackers are from the Jenin region. Israeli arrest raids in the West Bank have frequently caused conflicts, bringing the total number of Palestinians slain by Israeli troops or armed civilians to at least 42 since the start of the year. Armed militants, lone assailants, and innocent bystanders are among those killed.
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