Since the normalization of relations last year, the TV network will become the first Israeli media entity to be established in the UAE.

The Israel-based i24News television network announced plans to open an office in Dubai, the first time it has done so since the normalization of relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates last year.

Frank Melou, CEO of i24News, said on Monday: “Last year, we witnessed changes in regional diplomacy, which led to business contacts and opportunities for cooperation.”

“Our establishment of an office in Dubai Media City provides us with a strategic platform to expand our coverage of the Middle East from the center of the media industry center in the region,” he said.

The news channel also announced a series of agreements with the UAE, including content exchange with the publisher of the English-language daily Gulf News, and an advertisement for the UAE Ministry of Tourism.

Mona Al Marri, Director of the Media Office of the Dubai Government, welcomed the “cooperation between the UAE and Israeli media agencies”.

Majed Al Suwaidi, Director of Dubai Media City, said that adding i24News to the center “increased a rich global media diversity.”

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The two major telecommunications operators in the UAE, Etisalat and DU, will deliver content from i24News, which will be broadcast in Arabic, English and French.

In December of last year, the channel based in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi media signed an agreement to share reports and archive content.

The state-owned Dubai Media Company stated that it signed a memorandum of understanding with i24News to collaborate on content creation, media technology and employee exchange programs.

The channel and Dubai Media also stated that they are connecting the media with “Peace Fiber”, an optical cable connecting the Gulf and Israel to share information.

According to the so-called Abraham Agreement mediated by the United States last year, Israel established relations with the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco, and Sudan followed suit earlier this year. Prior to this, Egypt and Jordan were the only Arab countries that established diplomatic relations with Israel.

The Palestinians condemned the normalization of relations because it violates the Arab League’s many years of policy, which believes that until Israel ceases its occupation of Palestinian land and agrees to establish an independent Palestinian state, it should not establish relations with Israel.

Israel has signed numerous agreements with the UAE and Bahrain, ranging from tourism to aviation and financial services.

This month, the first UAE student started studying at an Israeli university.