Israel Appoints Businessman as its First Ambassador to UAE

Amir Hayek. (Twitter)
Amir Hayek. (Twitter)
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Israel Appoints Businessman as its First Ambassador to UAE

Amir Hayek. (Twitter)
Amir Hayek. (Twitter)

Israel's Foreign Minister Yair Lapid appointed Sunday the president of the Israel Hotel Association Amir Hayek as the country’s permanent ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, i24 news website said.

Hayek will replace Eitan Naeh, who held the post on a temporary basis for the past six months in Abu Dhabi.

According to a report by Israeli news website Walla, Naeh was informed about the decision only minutes before Hayek’s appointment was officially announced.

The new ambassador had previously headed the Manufacturers' Association of Israel and was Director General of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor and he therefore lacks any political and security experience that would be an asset in handling issues related to Iran and Palestine.

Walla said Lapid chose the new ambassador as a message to officials in the UAE that the UAE-Israel relationship is a top priority for him.

Hayek is close to Lapid, who had appointed him a few weeks ago as a mediator to resolve an internal dispute at his Yesh Atid party.

“Amir Hayek, deeply experienced and knowledgeable in the fields of economy and tourism, is the right person to institutionalize the bridge between Israel and the UAE,” Lapid said following the appointment.

For his part, Hayek said: "The United Arab Emirates is an entire world of joint economic opportunity. This is an important and exciting mission, and we have a lot of work ahead of us.”

The UAE and Israel agreed to normalize relations in August.

The Gulf country had appointed Mohammad Mahmoud Al Khajah as its ambassador to Israel last February.

The Emirati government had approved establishing an embassy in Tel Aviv in January.



Saudi Arabia Rejects Israeli Maps that Annex Parts of Jordan, Lebanon, Syria

Saudi Arabia called on the international community to assume is responsibility in stopping the Israeli violations. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Arabia called on the international community to assume is responsibility in stopping the Israeli violations. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia Rejects Israeli Maps that Annex Parts of Jordan, Lebanon, Syria

Saudi Arabia called on the international community to assume is responsibility in stopping the Israeli violations. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Arabia called on the international community to assume is responsibility in stopping the Israeli violations. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia condemned on Wednesday Israel’s publication of maps that show its occupation of parts of Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, claiming these territories as its own.

In a statement, the Saudi Foreign Ministry slammed such extremist acts that reflect Israel’s “intentions to consolidate its occupation and continue its flagrant violation of the sovereignty of those nations.”

Saudi Arabia called on the international community to assume is responsibility in stopping these violations, “stressing the need to respect the sovereignty and borders of these countries to ease tensions and put a stop to attempts to undermine peace efforts.”