The Foreign Secretary David Miliband will be the guest of honour at a housewarming reception given by the Israeli Embassy, just weeks after the diplomatic spat between the two countries over the Dubai assassination.

Mr Miliband has accepted the invitation from Israeli ambassador Ron Prosor, despite tensions between Israel and the UK.

Mr Prosor was invited to the Foreign Office to explain Israel’s alleged role in the killing of a Hamas militant in Dubai, where British and other EU passports were used by the assassins.

The Israeli embassy, which was originally the home of Vanity Fair novelist William Makepeace Thackeray, has undergone extensive refurbishment work.

Mr Miliband will be the guest of honour at the Embassy housewarming reception next month, together with the Chief Rabbi, Lord Sacks, who will affix the new mezuzah.