Israel opens embassy in UAE...

Updated 8pm

Israel opened an embassy in the United Arab Emirates Sunday, its foreign ministry said, in a historic move four months after the Jewish state and the Gulf country normalised ties.

"Today the Israeli embassy in Abu Dhabi has officially been opened, with the arrival of the mission head Eitan Naeh," the ministry said in a statement.

"The Israeli embassy in the United Arab Emirates will advance relations between the countries on all levels."

The UAE, along with Bahrain, signed a US-brokered deal in September to normalise relations with the Jewish state.

The agreements, known as the "Abraham Accords", shattered a longstanding Arab consensus that there should be no normalisation with Israel until it reaches a comprehensive peace deal with the Palestinians.

The Palestinians condemned the agreements as a "stab in the back".

The Israeli embassy in Abu Dhabi will be operating from "temporary offices" until locating a permanent facility, the foreign ministry statement said.

The mission will "expand the ties with the Emirati government, financial bodies and the private sector, universities, the media and more," it added.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi welcomed the move,...