Israel this week announced it has opened its embassy in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), four months after the two countries signed the historic normalization deal brokered by the Trump administration.
“The Israeli Embassy in Abu Dhabi has officially been opened, with the arrival of mission head Eitan Naeh,” a Foreign Ministry statement said.
“The Israeli Embassy in the United Arab Emirates will advance relations between the countries on all levels,” the statement confidently predicted.
The Israeli embassy will operate from temporary offices until a permanent location is found, the ministry said.
It will “expand ties with the Emirati government, financial bodies, and the private sector, universities, the media and more,” it added.
Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi said the new embassy would “enable the expansion of bilateral relations between Israel and the Emirates for a swift and maximal implementation of the potential in these ties.”
“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.”
Ashkenazi also thanked the UAE “heir to the throne, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, and my colleague and friend, Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, for their leadership and hospitality towards our representatives.”
The European Union Ambassador to Israel Emanuele Giaufret congratulated Na’eh on taking up his post, saying the role would “benefit regional stability.”
The UAE was the first of four Arab countries to normalize ties Israel under the so-called Abraham Accords, and was followed by Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco.
Israel will open a liaison office in Rabat, Morocco as well as a consulate in Dubai, the Foreign Ministry said. It already has a functioning embassy in Bahrain, opened several weeks ago.
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