Israel has opened embassy in the United Arab Emirates, its foreign ministry announced.
“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,” the statement added.
The UAE and Bahrain signed a deal in September to normalise relations with the Jewish state.
The agreements, known as the “Abraham Accords”, breached Arab consensus that there should be no relations with Israel until it reaches a comprehensive peace deal with the Palestinians.
The Palestinians condemned the US-brokered agreement as a “stab in the back”.
The embassy in Abu Dhabi will be operating from “temporary offices”, the Israeli 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 opening of embassy, saying it would “enable the expansion of bilateral relations between Israel and the Emirates for a swift and maximal implementation of the potential in these ties.”
Meanwhile, the foreign ministry announcement came shortly after the UAE said its cabinet had approved the opening of an embassy in Israel.
The embassy will be opened in Tel Aviv.
Until last year, Egypt and Jordan were the only Arab countries to have recognised Israel.
