An Israeli woman has been sentenced to death after half a kilo of cocaine was found in her apartment.

The women was identified as 43-years-old, Fida Kewan by Ynetnews.

Having arrived in Abu Dhabi last March her apartment was reportedly searched within just a week of her arrival.

She is said to have claimed the drugs were not hers and her legal team is set to launch an appeal against her sentence.

The UAE is known for its harsh stance towards drug use with application of the death penalty fairly common. However this is often converted into a long sentence on appeal.

A similar story broke last year of a British man who was sentenced to 25 years in Dubai prison after CBD oil was found in his car.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry said it was aware of the case.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is aware of the case and is handling it through the Department of Israelis Abroad in the Consular Division and Israeli representatives in the United Arab Emirates,” a ministry spokesman said.