Emirati Technical Team Arrives in Israel to Prepare for Embassy Opening

The national flags of Israel and the United Arab Emirates flutter along a highway in Netanya, Israel (File Photo: Reuters)
The national flags of Israel and the United Arab Emirates flutter along a highway in Netanya, Israel (File Photo: Reuters)
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Emirati Technical Team Arrives in Israel to Prepare for Embassy Opening

The national flags of Israel and the United Arab Emirates flutter along a highway in Netanya, Israel (File Photo: Reuters)
The national flags of Israel and the United Arab Emirates flutter along a highway in Netanya, Israel (File Photo: Reuters)

An Emirati technical delegation has arrived in Tel Aviv on Monday, despite the coronavirus measures which included the closure of Ben Gurion Airport.

The team will prepare for the Emirati embassy opening in Tel Aviv and arrange the final necessary measures.

A government source said that the relevant ministries granted the Emirati delegation a special permit enabling it to enter Israel, despite the lockdown.

He considered the move an indication that "launching bilateral relations is an urgent need for both."

Earlier, Mohamed Mahmoud al-Khaja was sworn in as UAE's ambassador to Israel by Dubai Ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid at a ceremony at al-Watan Palace in Abu Dhabi.

Sheikh Mohammed wished Khaja success in his mission, calling on the ambassador to work sincerely to strengthen friendship and cooperation relations with Israel, and to maintain the culture of peace, coexistence, and tolerance between the two nations' peoples and the peoples of the region, according to the foreign ministry.

Israel has appointed Eitan Naeh to set up a temporary mission in Abu Dhabi. The diplomat served as an ambassador in China, Japan, Switzerland, and Turkey before he was expelled by Ankara.

He will be the first Israeli to receive a full diplomatic status in the UAE and his temporary mission will help establish a permanent embassy.

Upon his arrival, Naeh tweeted saying “excited to be here will be an understatement,” adding that he is ready to open the Israeli embassy in Abu Dhabi.

Israel had closed its main airport until the end of January, as part of additional measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The closure was extended for additional weeks, hindering the expansion of exchanged flights between the two countries.



Trump Says May Visit Saudi Arabia Next Month

US President Donald Trump takes part in a signing of an executive order in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 31 March 2025. (EPA)
US President Donald Trump takes part in a signing of an executive order in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 31 March 2025. (EPA)
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Trump Says May Visit Saudi Arabia Next Month

US President Donald Trump takes part in a signing of an executive order in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 31 March 2025. (EPA)
US President Donald Trump takes part in a signing of an executive order in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 31 March 2025. (EPA)

US President Donald Trump said on Monday he plans to visit Saudi Arabia as early as May in what will be the first foreign trip of his second term, with stops also planned in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

"It could be next month, maybe a little later," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

Four sources briefed on the matter said mid-May was being looked at as the timing for the trip. Trump made Saudi Arabia and Israel the initial stops on his inaugural foreign trip during his first term in 2017.

Topics likely to be discussed include Russia's three-year-old war in Ukraine and the war in Gaza, one source said.

Saudi Arabia has played a prominent role in US foreign policy, including hosting US ceasefire talks with Russia and Ukraine.

"An opportunity for international travel for the president is something that is being looked at. We don’t yet have a specific plan, and we will provide that information when it is official," a White House official said ahead of Trump's remarks.