Israel to open office for renewable energy in Abu Dhabi – Al Jazeera

UAE says opening “does not represent any change in position” between the nations which do not have diplomatic relations.

Ali Younes | 27 Nov 2015

Israel is to open its first ever official and visible presence in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), even though the two countries have no diplomatic relations.

The mission would represent Israel at the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), which is headquartered in Abu Dhabi.

Emmanuel Nahshon, a spokesman for the Israeli foreign ministry, confirmed the opening to Al Jazeera.

Nahshon denied, however, that the mission meant that Israel and the UAE had now established diplomatic relations.

He stressed that the Israeli diplomatic representative will be accredited to IRENA, not the UAE’s foreign ministry.

“We only have an accredited diplomat to represent Israel at IRENA, which is an international organisation that happened to be based in Abu Dhabi,” adding that, “the representative will be a resident diplomat in Abu Dhabi with IRENA only”.

An official at the UAE foreign ministry said that the opening of the Israeli office did not signal a rapprochement between the two countries.

In a statement quoted by the UAE’s official news agency WAM, Maryam al-Falasi, the director of communications at the ministry, said that “any agreement between IRENA and Israel does not represent any change in the position of the UAE or its relations with Israel”.

“IRENA is an international, independent agency that works according to the laws, regulations and norms that govern the work of such organisations,” she said.

Falasi added that the functions of missions accredited to IRENA are “limited to affairs related to their communications and dealings with the agency.

“They do not, under any circumstances, cover any other activities and do not involve any obligation upon the host country with regards to its diplomatic relations or any other relations.”

The Israeli paper Haaretz reported that Dore Gold, the director of Israel’s foreign ministry, visited Abu Dhabi on Tuesday to participate in the initial IRENA meetings, but also used his presence in Abu Dhabi to finalise the details of Israel’s mission in the country.

When asked if he would like to see his country having full diplomatic relations with the UAE, Nahshon told Al Jazeera: “Yes, we would love to. We would like to have diplomatic relations with everyone in the region.”

Shaky relations

Across the Arab world, Israel only maintains embassies in Egypt and Jordan.

The UAE, along with other Arab countries, does not have diplomatic ties with Israel and remains opposed to its occupation of lands Palestinians want for a future state.

Israeli passport holders are barred from entering the UAE, a federation of seven emirates, though the government allows Israeli athletes, businessmen, and others to enter the country from time to time for competitions and events.

Last month, Israeli competitors took part in a judo tournament in Abu Dhabi without wearing their country’s flag.

Saeb Erekat, a senior member of the Palestine Liberation Organization, told Al Jazeera he was not aware of the reports but that he will confer with the Palestinian leadership next week to discuss the new development.

IRENA, which describes itself on its website as an “intergovernmental organisation that supports countries in their transition to a sustainable energy future”, has seen the participation of Israel in Abu Dhabi before.

In 2010, then-Israeli National Infrastructure Minister Uzi Landau attended an IRENA conference in Abu Dhabi on behalf of his country, becoming the first cabinet-level official to visit the Emirates.

Qatar at one point allowed an Israeli trade office to operate in the country before ordering it closed following a 2008-2009 Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip.

An earlier Israeli trade office in Oman has also been shuttered since 2000.

Tensions remain between Israel and the UAE, most notably over the 2010 assassination in a Dubai hotel room of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, a senior operative in the Palestinian group Hamas.

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Source: Al Jazeera and agencies
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/11/israel-open-office-renewable-energy-abu-dhabi-151127184424647.html
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No change in UAE position towards Israel, says govt – AL ARABIYA

The UAE said Thursday that an Israeli office soon to open in the capital Abu Dhabi “does not represent any change” in the government’s position.

Israel’s mission to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) in Abu Dhabi “does not represent any change in the position of the UAE or its relations with Israel,” according to a statement from the UAE’s foreign ministry.

The UAE does not recognize Israel and has no diplomatic ties with it.

“The functions of missions accredited to IRENA… are limited to affairs related to their communications and dealings with the Agency,” said spokeswoman Maryam al Falasi in the statement, carried on the UAE foreign ministry’s website.

“They do not, under any circumstances, cover any other activities and do not involve any obligation upon the host country with regards to its diplomatic relations or any other relations.”

IRENA’s headquarters will host an Israeli representative in line with United Nations guidelines, AFP reported.

IRENA has set up a base in Masdar City, a government-backed clean energy campus just outside of Abu Dhabi. The 144-member organization focuses on renewable energy, something the Emirates has invested heavily into in recent years.

http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/11/28/No-change-in-UAE-position-towards-Israel-says-govt.html
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Israel to open representative office in Abu Dhabi -YNET

Israel set to open mission to International Renewable Energy Agency in Abu Dhabi, its first openly established representative office in the United Arab Emirates

Reuters 11.27.15

Israel plans to open a diplomatic-level mission to the International Renewable Energy Agency in Abu Dhabi, the first openly established representative office in the United Arab Emirates, Israeli diplomats said on Friday.

The office will not be a full mission, but will consist of a diplomat assigned to the renewable energy agency. Nevertheless, it will be the first time an Israeli foreign ministry official is permanently stationed in the Gulf state.

Foreign ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon confirmed details first reported in Israeli media and three diplomatic officials told Reuters the move was underway. A spokesperson for IRENA could not be reached for comment.

Israel does not have formal diplomatic ties with most states in the Middle East because of the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Its only formal relations are with neighbours Egypt and Jordan.

But the Iran nuclear deal has caused disquiet in Israel and Sunni Arab states alike. Common ground has emerged between the two sides, even if they are cautious about drawing attention to the links.

In recent years, Israeli officials have met counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf at nuclear non-proliferation talks in Switzerland, gatherings that the Israelis say have helped melt the ice and lead to increased dialogue.

The director-general of Israel’s foreign ministry, Dore Gold, visited Abu Dhabi this month, the first time someone of his diplomatic rank has publicly made such a trip. Israeli ministers have visited the Gulf.

While the Abu Dhabi mission is seen as a positive step, at least one Israeli official voiced caution, saying that while it was “half a step out the door”, it was still a long way from being a full diplomatic posting.

“This is accreditation to the International Renewable Energy Agency, nothing else. It is in Abu Dhabi, not a mission to Abu Dhabi,” he said.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4731757,00.html