Israel opens embassy in Abu Dhabi; UAE to return favour

Israel opened an embassy in the United Arab Emirates, its foreign ministry said Sunday, in a historic move four months after the Jewish state and the Gulf country normalised ties.

"Today the Israeli embassy in Abu Dhabi has officially been opened, with the arrival of the mission head Eitan Naeh," the ministry said in a statement.

"The Israeli embassy in the United Arab Emirates will advance relations between the countries on all levels."

The UAE had, earlier in the day, approved the establishment of the country's first embassy in Israel.

"The government approves the creation of the embassy of the United Arab Emirates to Tel Aviv, in the state of Israel," it announced on Twitter.

The UAE, along with Bahrain, signed a US-brokered deal in September to normalise relations with the Jewish state.

The agreements, known as the "Abraham Accords", shattered a longstanding Arab consensus that there should be no normalisation with Israel until it reaches a comprehensive peace deal with the Palestinians.

The Palestinians condemned the agreements as a "stab in the back".

Earlier this month, Sudan also signed the accords, becoming the third Arab country to do so and the fourth to normalise diplomatic relations with the Jewish state in as many months.

Morocco also normalised ties with Israel in December, in a diplomatic quid pro quo that saw Washington back Moroccan rule over the disputed Western Sahara region.

Until last year, only Egypt, in 1979, and Jordan, in 1994, had normalised ties with Israel.

(with inputs from AFP)