The UAE has opened an embassy in Tel Aviv, months after becoming the first Arab nation in decades to normalise diplomatic relations with Israel.
The embassy is at the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange building.
“This embassy will serve not just as a home for diplomats but a base for our task to continue to build on our new partnership,” said the UAE's ambassador to Israel, Mohamed Al Khaja, after raising the Emirati flag.
“To seek dialogue, not disputes, to build a new paradigm of peace and to provide a model for a new collaborative approach to conflict resolution in the Middle East."
The formal opening of the mission comes after US-brokered normalisation agreements, known as the Abraham Accords, were signed by the UAE, Bahrain and Israel in Washington last September.
It was swiftly followed by Morocco and Sudan agreeing to normalise relations with Israel.
Addressing dignitaries in Tel Aviv, Israeli President Isaac Herzog thanked the Emirati leadership for its “courageous decision” to normalise ties with Israel.
“Our peace agreement will save lives, will help humanity, will help the region, will develop food, water and medicine for the benefit of humankind,” he said.
Leaders of the UAE-Israel Business Council also spoke glowingly of the opportunities for bilateral trade.
Dorian Barak, co-founder of the council, said the embassy would play a vital role in regulating trade relations in line with international best practice.
"Embassies are critical to bilateral trade as they assist with document authentication, regulatory submissions and other administrative matters that underpin international trade," he said.
Historic milestone
The UAE last year became the first Arab country to normalise relations with Israel since Jordan in 1994 before it was followed by Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan.
Regional normalisation before a lasting peace settlement between Israel and Palestinians as laid out by the Arab Peace Initiative in 2000 has been a highly contentious issue and the Palestinian leadership criticised the move.
In recent months the UAE and Israel have started to collaborate in areas such as health, technology and travel.
On Tuesday, the UAE’s Minister of State for Food Security, Mariam Al Mheiri, signed an agreement to enhance co-operation in food production, supply chains and research during a visit to Israel.
She also attended the inauguration of the embassy in Tel Aviv, which came after Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid last month opened his country’s embassy in Abu Dhabi and a consulate in Dubai.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Specs
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Teaching your child to save
Pre-school (three - five years)
You can’t yet talk about investing or borrowing, but introduce a “classic” money bank and start putting gifts and allowances away. When the child wants a specific toy, have them save for it and help them track their progress.
Early childhood (six - eight years)
Replace the money bank with three jars labelled ‘saving’, ‘spending’ and ‘sharing’. Have the child divide their allowance into the three jars each week and explain their choices in splitting their pocket money. A guide could be 25 per cent saving, 50 per cent spending, 25 per cent for charity and gift-giving.
Middle childhood (nine - 11 years)
Open a bank savings account and help your child establish a budget and set a savings goal. Introduce the notion of ‘paying yourself first’ by putting away savings as soon as your allowance is paid.
Young teens (12 - 14 years)
Change your child’s allowance from weekly to monthly and help them pinpoint long-range goals such as a trip, so they can start longer-term saving and find new ways to increase their saving.
Teenage (15 - 18 years)
Discuss mutual expectations about university costs and identify what they can help fund and set goals. Don’t pay for everything, so they can experience the pride of contributing.
Young adulthood (19 - 22 years)
Discuss post-graduation plans and future life goals, quantify expenses such as first apartment, work wardrobe, holidays and help them continue to save towards these goals.
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
BEACH SOCCER WORLD CUP
Group A
Paraguay
Japan
Switzerland
USA
Group B
Uruguay
Mexico
Italy
Tahiti
Group C
Belarus
UAE
Senegal
Russia
Group D
Brazil
Oman
Portugal
Nigeria
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
A Long Way Home by Peter Carey
Faber & Faber
Key recommendations
- Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
- Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
- Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
- More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.
