The visa-free agreement will go into effect on February 12.
By LAHAV HARKOVISRAELIS AND locals celebrate Hanukkah in Dubai, on December 10.(photo credit: CHRISTOPHER PIKE/REUTERS)
Israel and the United Arab Emirates will allow visa-free travel between the countries, after the UAE ratified an agreement on the matter on Wednesday.Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi said “the ratification of the agreement is a central element of the full and quick implementation of the many agreements being worked on these days with the Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco.”Ashkenazi credited the Foreign Ministry with “quickly advancing the relations with these countries.”The visa-free agreement will go into effect on February 12.The UAE was originally expected to authorize the agreement in late December or early January, but deferred the final ratification.Earlier this month, an Israeli diplomatic source said that the hold-up was due to large numbers of Israelis arriving in the UAE without visas in December, leaving the Emiratis to handle their cases upon arrival.Last week, the ministry confirmed that Eitan Naeh, the former ambassador to Turkey, will be Israel’s top diplomat in the UAE.He is the first Israeli diplomat to be officially and openly stationed in the UAE as Israel sets up its mission in Abu Dhabi, the capital, following the signing of the Abraham Accords.Na’eh’s position as chargé d’affaires is expected to be temporary until an ambassador is appointed, which likely will happen after the next government is formed following the March election.
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