UAE cabinet approves setting up embassy in Israel

Published January 24, 2021
The UAE and Israel agreed to normalise relations in August. — Reuters/File
The UAE and Israel agreed to normalise relations in August. — Reuters/File

The United Arab Emirates cabinet on Sunday approved the establishment of an embassy in the city of Tel Aviv in Israel, state media said.

The UAE and Israel agreed to normalise relations in August, a deal forged largely over shared fears of Iran.

Since then, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco have all agreed to establish ties with Israel in deals brokered in 2020 by the administration of former US president Donald Trump.

No further details about the embassy were given in UAE media.

Israel's government regards Jerusalem as its capital, although that is not recognised by most of the international community. Palestinians claim East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state. Most countries have their embassies in Tel Aviv.

Meanwhile, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told his Israeli counterpart that the Biden administration will work closely with Israel on regional security issues and to build on the country’s regional normalisation agreements, according to a statement on Sunday.

“They discussed opportunities to enhance the partnership over the coming months, including by building on the success of Israel’s normalisation arrangements with UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco,” a statement on Sullivan’s call on Saturday with Israel’s Meir Ben Shabbat said.

Sullivan also extended an invitation to begin a strategic dialogue in the near term, the statement added.

Opinion

Editorial

Immunity gap
Updated 26 Apr, 2026

Immunity gap

Pakistan’s Big Catch-Up campaign showed progress but also exposed the scale of gaps in routine immunisation.
Danger on repeat
26 Apr, 2026

Danger on repeat

DISASTERS have typically been framed as acts of nature. Of late, they look increasingly like tests of preparedness...
Loose lips
26 Apr, 2026

Loose lips

PAKISTANIS have by now gained something of an international reputation for their gallows humour, but it seems that...
Lebanon truce
Updated 25 Apr, 2026

Lebanon truce

THE fact that the truce between Israel and Lebanon has been extended for three weeks should be welcomed. But there...
Terrorism again
25 Apr, 2026

Terrorism again

THE elimination of 22 terrorists in an intelligence-based operation in Khyber highlights both the scale and ...
Taxing technology
25 Apr, 2026

Taxing technology

THE recent decision by the FBR’s Directorate General of Customs Valuation to increase the ‘assessed value’ of...