Israel to open first official diplomatic mission in Abu Dhabi: Report

Israel will be inaugurating in the coming weeks its first official diplomatic mission in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported on Friday.  

"The new legation will be officially accredited to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), which is based in Abu Dhabi," wrote Haaretz, citing a senior Israeli official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

A director-general from the Israeli foreign ministry had visited Abu Dhabi on Tuesday to participate in the biannual meeting of IRENA’s council, the daily reported, adding that the main purpose of his three-day trip was to finalise the opening of the mission.

Israeli diplomat Rami Hatan has been appointed to head the diplomatic mission, which has been discussed by the two states for several years, according to the report.

Israeli ministers had attended IRENA conferences in 2010 and in 2014, but did not take part in the years between them because of Emirati-Israeli tensions over the assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, a member of the Palestinian movement Hamas, in Dubai.

The UAE had accused Israel's Mossad spy agency of murdering Mabhouh.