The first Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to Israel Mohamed Mahmoud Al Khaja landed in Ben-Gurion Airport on Monday morning.

Al Khaja’s first meeting on Monday was with Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi in Jerusalem.

“I arrived today in Tel Aviv as the first UAE Ambassador to the State of Israel and met with Gabi Ashkenazi, Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs, to discuss growing bilateral relations since the signing of the Abraham Accords, as well as enhancing cooperation in various fields,” Al Khaja wrote on Twitter.

יש גם סרטון@AmbAlKhaja pic.twitter.com/C6cBwCsVBl

— roi kais • روعي كايس • רועי קייס (@kaisos1987) March 1, 2021

Later on Monday, Al Khaja presented his credentials to President Reuven Rivlin.

The Emirati ambassador will remain in Israel for four days to look for a location for the Emirati embassy and hopes to return to Israel full-time by the end of the month.

Al Khaja, 41, is a member of the noble family and previously served as chief of staff for Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in political science from Northeastern University in Boston and a Master’s degree in energy management from the Vienna University of Economics and Business.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)