AJC Welcomes Opening of Israeli Mission in Abu Dhabi

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Nov 27, 2015, 11:09 ET

NEW YORK, Nov. 27, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AJC welcomes the announcement that Israel will establish a diplomatic office in Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates.

An Israeli diplomat will be accredited to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), a new UN agency based in Abu Dhabi. Israel is one of IRENA's 140 members. Israeli officials, including Cabinet ministers, have openly participated in IRENA meetings in the UAE since the organization's founding in 2009.

"Arab nations in the Gulf and Israel share many concerns and can surely benefit from closer contact," said AJC Associate Executive Director Jason Isaacson, who has led AJC delegations to the Gulf for more than 20 years. "An Israeli mission in Abu Dhabi is a significant step in furthering Arab-Israeli cooperation, which has so much potential for the region in a range of fields. We hope that other Gulf Cooperation Council member states will follow this welcome example."

Israel had trade offices in Qatar and Oman in the 1990s, but those offices are not operating today.

AJC, the global Jewish advocacy organization, has regularly visited a number of countries in the Arab world since 1991, in an effort to help advance U.S. and Israeli ties in the region, as well as foster Arab-Jewish and Muslim-Jewish dialogue.

SOURCE American Jewish Committee