Israel plans to open a diplomatic-level mission in the United Arab Emirates, Israeli diplomats said on Friday.
The office will not be a full mission but will consist of a diplomat assigned to the renewable energy agency in Abu Dhabi, Israel’s first openly established representative office in the UAE.
Foreign ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon confirmed details first reported in Israeli daily Haaretz and three diplomatic officials told Reuters the move was underway.
Israel does not have formal diplomatic ties with most states in the Middle East because of the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Its only formal relations are with neighbours Egypt and Jordan.
But the nuclear deal between world powers and Iran has caused disquiet in Israel and Gulf Arab states alike. Common ground has emerged between the two sides, even if they are cautious about drawing attention to the links.
In recent years, Israeli officials have met counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf at nuclear non-proliferation talks in Switzerland, gatherings that the Israelis say have helped melt the ice and lead to increased dialogue.
A delegation from Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs visited IRENA’s offices in Abu Dhabi and met with its director-general earlier in the week, a spokesperson for IRENA said in a written statement.
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And the director-general of Israel’s foreign ministry, Dore Gold, visited Abu Dhabi this month, the first time someone of his diplomatic rank has publicly made such a trip.
While the Abu Dhabi mission is seen as a positive step, at least one Israeli official voiced caution, saying that while it was “half a step out the door”, it was still a long way from being a full diplomatic posting.
Up until now the UAE has not recognized Israel as a state and the two countries have not had diplomatic or economic relations.
However, in 2010 Israel’s Minister of National Infrastructure Uzi Landau attended a renewable energy conference in Abu Dhabi. He was the first Israeli minister to ever visit UAE.
Meanwhile, the assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai on January 19, 2010, led the UAE to call for the arrest via Interpol of Meir Dagan, director of Israel’s Mossad.
Dubai’s Chief of Police, Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, stated that all travelers suspected of being Israeli will not be allowed into the country, even if they arrived on foreign passports.
As the UAE does not officially recognise Israel, Israeli passport-holders cannot legally enter the UAE.
However, there are Israelis with dual citizenship who live, visit and work in the UAE as citizens of other countries and it is thought that some Israeli companies conduct business in the UAE indirectly through third parties.
