Israeli Embassy opens in UAE, confirms UAE Foreign Ministry

In September, the United States brokered dialogues between the United Arab Emirates and Israel. US succeeded in its efforts as the UAE, as well as Bahrain, signed a deal with Israel to regularize affairs with the Jewish state. 

Four months after the agreement was made to normalize ties with Israel, the Foreign Ministry of the UAE announced the opening of an Israeli embassy in the Gulf state. 

The embassy comes as a part of Israel’s recent tactful outreach to the Arab states. Over the past few months, Israel has signed normalization deals and agreements with four countries.

The Foreign Ministry of UAE released a statement announcing that the appointed head of mission Eitan Naeh has arrived in Abu Dhabi and that the Israeli embassy has been opened officially today. 

The statement further said that the Israeli embassy in the UAE will be helpful in further advancing the relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates on all levels. 

The agreements, called the Abraham Accords, signed between Israel, the UAE, and Bahrain back in September 2020 broke down the age-old consensus among Arab countries about not normalizing dealings with Israel until it makes a peace deal with Palestine. 

Palestine condemned the agreements, calling them a stab in the back.

The statement released by the UAE Foreign Ministry included that until finding a permanent facility, the Israeli embassy would be functioning from temporary offices in Abu Dhabi. 

The statement added that the Israeli embassy mission would enhance the connections with the Emirati government, the private sector, financial bodies, the media, universities, and more. 

The United Arab Emirates has already signed pacts with Israel on visa-free travel and direct flights. In addition to this, Israel and the UAE have also made agreements about science, technology, and investment protection. 

Gabi Ashkenazi, the Israeli Foreign Minister, while welcoming the move said that the embassy would help to expand the bilateral relations between the UAE and Israel so that the two countries could implement the potential in these agreements to the utmost. 

The Israeli Foreign Minister also extended thanks to His Highness Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed, the heir to the throne of the United Arab Emirates, and Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed, the Foreign Minister of the UAE for their hospitality and leadership towards the Israeli representatives.

The Foreign Ministry’s announcement of the Israeli embassy being officially opened in Abu Dhabi came a little late after the United Arab Emirates said that it is planning on establishing a UAE embassy in Israel and that the cabinet has also approved of the mission. 

The announcement included that the UAE embassy would be opened in Tel Aviv, the coastal financial center.