Amir Hayek appointed as Israel’s first ambassador to the UAE

Israel has appointed Amir Hayek as its first ambassador to the UAE, the country’s foreign minister Yair Lapid announced on Sunday.

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In a tweet announcing the news, Lapid said that Hayek was “rich in experience and knowledge in the fields of economic and tourism,” adding that he was, “the right man to institutionalize the bridge between Israel and the Emirates.”

Earlier this month, the UAE inaugurated the Arabian Gulf’s first embassy in Israel. The opening of the embassy, which is situated in the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange building, came shortly after the UAE opened an Israeli embassy and appointed Mohamed al-Khaja as the ambassador.

UAE Ambassador to Israel, Mohamed Al Khaja, and Israeli President Isaac Herzog shake hands during the opening ceremony of the Emirati embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel July 14, 2021. (Reuters)

Hayek is the president of the Israel Hotel Association, according to online newspaper The Times of Israel, he also previously headed the Manufacturers Association of Israel and was the director-general of the country’s Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor.

The UAE and Bahrain normalized relations with Israel last August under the “Abraham Accords” which was crafted by the administration of then-US President Donald Trump.

Since the signing of the Abraham Accords on September 15, multiple agreements have been signed in the fields of health, aviation, tourism, food security, agriculture, and defense among others.

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