The United Arab Emirates on Wednesday opened its embassy for Israel in the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE), marking a new phase in the growing relations between the countries.
“This embassy is not just a hub for diplomats, but a base for continuing our new partnership,” said Mohammed Al Khaja, Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates. “It is a new paradigm for peace and a model for a new collaborative approach to conflict resolution.”
The UAE and Israel announced last August that they were making peace and normalizing relations, called the Abraham Accords, and Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco followed shortly thereafter. Israel opened an embassy in Abu Dhabi and a consulate in Dubai last month
when Foreign Minister Yair Lapid visited the UAE.
The TASE was overflowing with excited guests for the opening of the embassy, including President Isaac Herzog and former Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi. Lapid was quarantined because one of its collaborators tested positive for COVID-19.
Al Khaja meets Herzog at his car in a narrow street in Tel Aviv, outside the stock exchange building, where passers-by watch the proceedings from across the street.
The ambassador escorted the president to flagpoles erected outside, where the ambassador hoisted the Emirate flag while the national anthem of his country was played.
At the end of the ceremony, Al Khaja opened the day’s TASE trade
In his remarks, Al Khaja cites the planned collaboration between universities, hospitals and researchers in Israel and the UAE, as well as the agreements the countries have signed in the fields of economics, air travel and agriculture, and says this is just the beginning. ”
“In the post-COVID world, those who innovate will lead,” the ambassador said. ‘The UAE and Israel are innovative countries that will leverage innovation for the future of the people of the country and the region. The people of the region are hoping for a new, prosperous Middle East. ‘
Herzog said that ‘a year ago a far-fetched dream could have seemed like a far-fetched dream to see the Emirati flag waving in Tel Aviv.