First-ever UAE Ambassador to Israel Mohammed Mahmoud Al Khaja arrived on Monday at Ben Gurion International Airport in the city of Tel Aviv to present his credentials to Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, media reported.
Al Khaja is also set to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi later in the day, as well as other senior officials, according to Israeli media reports.
Last week, Al Khaja held talks with Israel’s temporary ambassador in the UAE, Eitan Na’eh, who is stationed in Abu Dhabi, with the parties having discussed means of developing bilateral relations.
In mid-February, Abu Dhabi appointed its first ambassador to Israel, six months after the two countries agreed to normalize their ties. Al Khaja, the former director of the Foreign Ministry’s office, was sworn in before UAE Vice President Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
The UAE and Israel struck a US-brokered deal, officially known as the Abraham Accords, to normalize their relationships in August and ratified it in October. The UAE agreed to open an embassy in Tel Aviv, while Israel said it would establish a diplomatic mission in Abu Dhabi.