Israel officially opens embassy in UAE

Israel has officially opened embassy in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with the arrival of envoy.

Ambassador Eitan Na’eh takes up the position in Abu Dhabi, as Emirati cabinet approves opening of the diplomatic mission in Tel Aviv.

Israel Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the embassy will work to advance Israel’s interests and will be at the disposal of its citizens.

Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi said that the opening of the embassy will allow for the bilateral relations between the countries to expand further.

It will work from a temporary office, which will begin operations in the coming days, until a permanent location can be found, the ministry said.

It is pertinent to mention here that Eitan Na’eh, who was ambassador to Turkey, is now the first Israeli to have full diplomatic status in the Gulf state, following the normalization of ties with Israel last year.

“This is an important decision that will advance the warm ties between countries and between nations,” he said. “We look forward to welcoming the UAE representatives soon.”

The UAE became the third Arab country, after Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994, to agree to formally normalize its relationship with Israel as well as the first Persian Gulf country to do so.

Concurrently, Israel agreed to suspend plans for annexing parts of the West Bank. The agreement normalized what had long been informal but robust foreign relations between the two countries.

The agreement was signed at the White House on September 15, 2020. It was approved unanimously by the Israeli cabinet on October 12 and was ratified by the Knesset on October 15. The UAE parliament and cabinet ratified the agreement on October 19.