Israeli authorities have approved plans to build a permanent 15-storey embassy complex for the United Arab Emirates in Herzliya, near Tel Aviv, amid reports of recent tensions between the two countries.
The project, approved on Tuesday by the Tel Aviv District Planning and Building Committee, will include diplomatic offices and accommodation for the Emirati ambassador and embassy staff, according to Israeli real estate publication Magdilim.
The approval comes nearly a year after the plans were first submitted in October 2025, with Israeli authorities describing the development as a step towards strengthening diplomatic relations with Abu Dhabi.
The new embassy will be built at 9 Sapir Street in the commercial district of Herzliya Pituach, on a plot measuring approximately 2,500 square metres.
The project will have a maximum of 15 floors, with a total permitted construction area of 15,000 square metres.
Under the approved plans, up to 20% of the permitted floor space will be allocated to residential accommodation for the Emirati ambassador and diplomatic personnel, located on the upper floors.
The development will also include a separate entrance to an underground car park, an expanded access road and improvements to surrounding public facilities and pedestrian walkways.
According to Israeli media reports, the land is currently owned by Herzliya municipality, with arrangements underway to transfer ownership to the Israeli state through coordination with the Israel Land Authority before leasing it to the UAE.
In exchange, the municipality will receive another plot of land in Herzliya's marina district as part of a land-swap agreement.
Erez Ben Eliezer, the Tel Aviv district planner at Israel's Planning Administration, described the project as significant for both the city and Israel, saying it would strengthen international relations and pave the way for future cooperation.
He said the embassy's location near international companies and advanced technology firms would make it a prominent landmark in Herzliya's commercial district.
The UAE embassy currently operates from temporary offices in Tel Aviv and Herzliya, with the new complex intended to become its permanent diplomatic headquarters.
No date has been announced for the start of construction or the building's opening.
Approval comes amid reported diplomatic tensions
The approval comes at a sensitive time in UAE-Israel relations, following reported disagreements over an attempted hijacking involving a Flydubai flight last month.
Israeli economic news website Ice linked the timing of the approval to recent tensions between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv following the incident, which saw a Flydubai aircraft make an emergency landing at Saudi Arabia's Tabuk airport in late September.
The website cited reports of disagreements between the two countries over their handling of the incident and its consequences for passenger travel.
The attempted hijacking took place on 30 September, when an Omani co-pilot allegedly tried to seize control of a Flydubai flight travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv and crash it into Ben Gurion Airport.
Passengers and crew thwarted the attempt, and the aircraft landed safely in Saudi Arabia.
The embassy project comes six years after the UAE normalised relations with Israel in September 2020 under the US-brokered Abraham Accords.
The agreement led to the exchange of ambassadors, the opening of diplomatic missions and a series of economic and trade cooperation agreements between the two countries.