The first ambassador to Israel from the United Arab Emirates presented his credentials to Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin. Mohamed Mahmoud Fateh Ali Al Khaja presented his diplomatic credentials on Monday during an official ceremony at the President’s House in Jerusalem.
“The entire Israeli people welcomes you with joy. This will be your most important mission – to welcome the hands reaching out to you, to meet the Israeli people and to get to know them up close. Treaties are signed by leaders, but real, sustained peace is made between peoples, face to face,” Rivlin said during the ceremony, after first welcoming the new ambassador in Arabic. Rivlin noted that his father, Prof. Yosef Yoel Rivlin, loved the Arabic language and made it his life’s work to tranlate the Muslim holy book, the Quran, to Hebrew.