Israel appoints 1st Ambassador to UAE

Tel Aviv, July 26 Israel has appointed its first ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) following the signing of a normalisation deal last year, the Foreign Ministry here said.

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said in a statement issued on Sunday that he has chosen Amir Hayek, an economist and former director of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Employment, to take the job, reports Xinhua news agency.

"Haik has rich experience and knowledge in the fields of economics and tourism," Lapid said, adding that he is "the right man to establish the bridge between Israel and the UAE".

Hayek replaces Eitan Na'eh, who had been the acting envoy.

The appointment came after Israel opened its embassy in Abu Dhabi in June and the UAE opened its embassy in Tel Aviv in July.

Israel and the UAE signed the US-brokered normalisation deal in September 2020.