United Arab Emirates opens embassy in Tel Aviv

TEL AVIV / ABU DHABI — As a continuation of the normalization procedures between the two countries, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) officially opened its embassy in Israel on Wednesday. The ceremony, hosted by the UAE Ambassador to Tel Aviv Muhammad Al Khaja, included a dignitary tour in the embassy headquarters, in the presence of Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who said in his speech that opening the embassy is a big step for the entire Middle East.

“We will work on expanding the peace agreements to include a larger number of countries in the region,” he added.

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz expressed, via Twitter, his aspiration for joint work with the UAE to promote regional peace.

Two weeks ago, Israel took the same step when it opened the Israeli Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Israeli Consulate in Dubai during the first visit of Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid to the UAE.