Israel opens pavilion at world's fair in Dubai

Israel opened its gleaming pavilion ceremonially at the world's fair in Dubai on Thursday.

The opening came a year after normalizing ties with the United Arab Emirates and amid a pandemic that has disrupted much of the tourist and cultural exchanges promised by the U.S.-brokered accords.

The Palestinian pavilion has not officially opened its doors at Expo 2020, and employees have reported struggling to get handicrafts out of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Israeli officials are in Dubai to cement ties after the two countries inked a long-awaited visa waiver agreement this week.

The Israeli Tourism Ministry's director-general said he expects an influx of Israeli tourists to visit Expo in the coming months when virus-induced travel restrictions ease.