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Agence France-Presse

Israel opened an embassy in the United Arab Emirates Sunday, its foreign ministry said, in a historic move four months after the Jewish state and the Gulf country normalised ties.
“Today the Israeli embassy in Abu Dhabi has officially been opened, with the arrival of the mission head Eitan Naeh,” the ministry said in a statement.
“The Israeli embassy in the United Arab Emirates will advance relations between the countries on all levels.”
Israeli cabinet approves signing deal to upgrade ties with Morocco
The UAE, along with Bahrain, signed a US-brokered deal in September to normalise relations with the Jewish state.
The agreements, known as the “Abraham Accords”, shattered a long-standing Arab consensus that there should be no normalisation with Israel until it reaches a comprehensive peace deal with the Palestinians.
The Palestinians condemned the agreements as a “stab in the back”.
The Israeli embassy in Abu Dhabi will be operating from “temporary offices” until locating a permanent facility, the foreign ministry statement said.
The mission will “expand the ties with the Emirati government, financial bodies and the private sector, universities, the media and more,” it added.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi welcomed the move, saying the 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.”
The foreign ministry announcement came soon after the UAE said its cabinet had approved the establishment of an embassy in Israel, also a first.
Ashkenazi welcomed the UAE decision, which he said “will advance the warm ties between the states and peoples”.
Earlier this month, Sudan also signed the Abraham Accords, becoming the third Arab country to do so and the fourth to normalise diplomatic relations with the Jewish state in as many months.
Morocco also normalised ties with Israel in December, in a diplomatic quid pro quo that saw Washington back Moroccan rule over the disputed Western Sahara region.


Until last year, only Egypt, in 1979, and Jordan, in 1994, had normalised ties with Israel.
Also on Sunday, the Israeli government gave the green light to the agreement with Morocco, ahead of its final approval by parliament.
The foreign ministry said its mission in Rabat as well as a consulate in the UAE’s Dubai were expected to open “in the coming days”.
An Israeli embassy in Manama, Bahrain, has been operational for a number of weeks, the statement said.


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Diplomacy

Israel opens embassy in United Arab Emirates in historic move between Jewish state and Gulf

United Arab Emirates national flags and Israeli flags. Photo: AFP

FILED - 27 August 2020, Berlin: Israeli Foreign Minister Gabriel "Gabi" Ashkenasi addresses journalists in front of the Liebermann Villa on Wannsee at a joint press conference with Federal Foreign Minister Maas. Ashkenazi on Thursday strongly denounced the assault on the US Capitol in Washington, saying he was "shocked" at the attack on what he termed "the stronghold of world democracy." Photo: Michele Tantussi/Reuters/Pool/dpa

Israeli cabinet approves signing deal to upgrade ties with Morocco

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, and Morocco’s King Mohammed VI. Photo: AFP

Benjamin Netanyahu invites Morocco’s King Mohammed VI to visit Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) and Morocco's King Mohammed VI congratulated each other over the renewal of ties between the countries. Photos: AFP

Unidentified Moroccan and Israeli officials sign memorandums of understanding during a vist by Israeli envoys to Rabat, Morocco, December 22, 2020. Picture taken December 22, 2020. REUTERS/Shereen Talaat

Three young women pose for a selfie with projections of the national flags of Israel and Morocco on the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem, Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2020. Senior White House adviser Jared Kushner led a delegation from Israel to Morocco on Tuesday on the first known direct flight since the two countries agreed to establish full diplomatic ties earlier this month as part of a series of U.S.-brokered normalization accords with Arab countries. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

Israel said it has established diplomatic relations with Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan

Israel’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Gabi Ashkenazi. Photo: EPA-EFE

News

World

Middle East


The UAE, along with Bahrain, signed a US-brokered deal in September to normalise relations with the Jewish state.
The Palestinians condemned the ‘Abraham Accords’ agreements as a ‘stab in the back’



The Israeli foreign ministry said its mission in Rabat, Morocco and a consulate in the UAE’s Dubai were expected to open ‘in the coming days’.


Israel

Defence

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman