One Year Later:
Israel, the UAE, and the Abraham Accords
Israel, the UAE, and the Abraham Accords
By Carolina Beirne, 8/18/2021
It has been one year since the Former U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted the following: “HUGE breakthrough today! Historic Peace Agreement between our two GREAT friends, Israel and the United Arab Emirates!” This announcement marked the inception of the Abraham Accords Peace Agreement, a monumental deal of not only co-existence but also collaboration between the United Arab Emirates and Israel. Through this, all communication between the two nations was standardized, including tourism, direct flights, scientific cooperation, business relations, and most recently, ambassadorial diplomatic ties.
With the UAE becoming the first Gulf country to open formal diplomatic relations with Israel, many could not have predicted the announcement. Prior to the engagement, the government of the UAE refused to acknowledge the existence of Israel, denying its rights as a legitimate state, and even omitting it from school curriculums. However, just one year after its inception, Israel’s presence in the UAE has grown exponentially. With collaboration in arms, medical cooperation and tourism, it appears as though the Accord has been nothing but beneficial to both parties.
The Abraham Accords made promise upon their agreed terms, and the economic benefits mingled with the culture, showing a harmonious symbiosis forming between the two previously estranged nations. There have been numerous deals announced acrossed a plethora of industries, including banking, cyber-security and food technology between Emirati and Israeli companies. Perhaps one of the most notable deals was the first official deal signed between an Israeli arm of Fluence, a water systems company, and the Dubai-based conglomerate, the Al Shirawi Group. In an interview with the BBC’s Talking Business programme, one of the CEO’s, Thani al-Shirawi commented that, “We spoke the same language… We had the same aspiration and we both wanted to grow. Israel has the technology - they are a few leaps ahead when it comes to the water industry.” The head of Fluence Israel, Yaron Bar-Tal, also hinted for the potential for business to promote peace, stating, “"Business can be the path to peace and vice versa, peace is the path to business so both as an Israeli and as a businessman I feel proud having our products as the path to the peace there." Moreover, on August 31st, the first commercial flight between the two countries, and the first Israeli flight approved to cross over Saudi Arabian airspace departed from Tel Aviv to arrive in Abu Dhabi, and on October 20th 2020, a mutual visa exemption agreement was announced, meaning both Emirati and Israeli citizens could travel freely between the two without obtaining a visa. Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, tourism between the two nations continued to bolster both economies, with estimates of 60,000 Israeli tourists entering Dubai in December of 2020 alone, as well as envoys of business people flowing back and forth. As a result, more cultural strains of the deal have emerged, with Kosher grade food now becoming widely available throughout the Emirates, and two gyms now open to teach the Israeli art of self defense, Krav Maga. Moreover, Israeli footballer Dia Saba joined the Emirati football club of Al-Nasr in September 2020, becoming the first Israeli to play in the Gulf States.
In February of 2021, the UAE’s capital city, Abu Dhabi, held the 15th edition of its biennial International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX). Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, IDEX is an international defence exhibition and conference within the MENA region, in which nations demonstrate their latest defence technology across the land, sea, and air sectors. It’s primary focus as a tri-service defence exhibition is to, “establish and strengthen relationships with government departments, businesses and armed forces throughout the region.” The 2021 edition of the conference saw many nations participating for the first time, such as Azerbaijan, North Macedonia, and most controversially, Israel. In the months prior to this conference, it is evident that the military relationship between the United Arab Emirates and Israel had become increasingly fortified. Although historically there had been times where the two nations had collaborated, such as the joint participation to support the Egyptian government during the Sinai insurgency in 2011, the events this past year show collaborations of want rather than a relationship of convenience or obligation. Directly after the Abraham Accords had been signed, Israeli security experts raised concerns that the agreement had been used in order to aid the Trump administration’s plans to sell sophisticated weaponry to the UAE, including F-35 stealth fighter jets. Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied this initially, though it was later alluded to by Israel in October of 2020 that the country would not oppose American sales of weapons systems to the Emirati army. In fact, it is implied that the very establishment of any form of Israeli-Emirati relations comes off the back of talks between the UAE’s National Security Advisor, Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the head of Israel's Mossad, Yossi Cohen.
Breakthroughs in other areas of life have also been met as the result of the Accords, particularly in science, medicine and the arts. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed in September of 2020 between Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science and the UAE’s Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence in efforts to collaborate on research in the field of Artificial Intelligence. The two nations are also allegedly collaborating on the mitigation of COVID-19, with Israel Aerospace Industries and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems reaching an agreement with an Emirati technology company, Group-42, to offer “effective solutions” throughout the course of the pandemic. Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism also publicized a new plan for the annual Qattara Cinema programme in January 2021, announcing the first virtual event in which both Israeli and Emirati filmmakers can collaborate. Under the advisory of deals signed between the Abu Dhabi Film Committee and Jerusalem’s Sam Spiegel School with the Israel Film Fund, eight Israeli and eight Emirati short films will be released.
To many, especially the Western World, this deal has nothing but potential. With speculation that Israel and the UAE are in collaboration to monitor their common enemy, Iran, and regular exchange of imports, the economic promises are numerous. However, human rights groups, activists, and every day citizens around the world show disdain for the neglect of those most overlooked: Palestinians. According to the 2009 census, 1.57% of the UAE’s expatriate population are of Palestinian backgrounds, many of whom still hold the passport. The multicultural demographic, promising employment opportunities, and peace in the UAE made it a safe-haven for Palestinians fleeing their country, and this deal came as a direct slap in their faces. The solidarity between the people of the UAE and their Muslim brothers and sisters in Palestine runs deep, and the majority of citizens morally object to the agreement, but these opinions are otherwise suppressed by the monarchy’s denial of free speech and critique of the government. In recent months, the annexation of Palestinian territories and illegal evictions of the residents of Sheikh Jarrah has become a large topic of mainstream media, with many who had never once even heard of the conflict now gaining insight into the brutal actions of the Israeli Defense Forces. The UAE government, however, remained silent on the issue, despite many hoping that its development of ties with Israel has allowed the Emirates to bargain with Israeli to halt their proposed further annexation of Palestine. It appears to many, as though, that the deal opened a struggle within the Emirati business sector, as the deal became less focused on Palestine and more focused on profit.
One Palestinan resident of the UAE, who chooses to remain anonymous for the purposes of her own personal safety, readily provided her own opinions on the deal, as she was required to remain passive as a place her family once viewed as a safe haven now aligned itself with their oppressor. in order to connote her sense of betrayal and utter disbelief in the situation, speaking candidly, the individual likened her feelings to, “as if you have found out your ex-husband has shacked up with a stripper,” Her grandfather, who was rendered blind in one eye in an attack by a Zionist terrorist group in his youth, had fled his family home at the age of seventeen, when he and his eight-year-old sister ran through the night to seek refuge with relatives in Lebanon under guidance from their father. There had been rumours of ‘de-populating’ of the Muslim neighbourhoods of Palestine, which the individual claimed was a, “politically-correct term to explain ethnic cleansing.” Her grandfather and his sister had planned to stay in Lebanon until these rumours had subsided, when their parents said they would collect them. However, the pair of siblings never returned, and never saw or heard from their parents again. Due to the importance of lineage and family trees, this one individual’s own family tree is over one thousand years old, Palestinians in the UAE will never forget what their families and themselves endured in light of the ongoing conflicts in their homelands, and as a result do not accept what they view as an utter betrayal by their host country.
The Abraham Accord is undoubtedly significant, as business is on track to become the catalyst for peace in the Middle East. With arms deals strengthening regional and global protection against Iran and its proxies, enhanced globalisation and cultural links, and tourism encouraging harmonious coexistence. However, the alleged oversight and apparent abandonment of Palestian lives both in and outside of the UAE remains a striking, yet hushed, point of contention within the Emirates.
With the UAE becoming the first Gulf country to open formal diplomatic relations with Israel, many could not have predicted the announcement. Prior to the engagement, the government of the UAE refused to acknowledge the existence of Israel, denying its rights as a legitimate state, and even omitting it from school curriculums. However, just one year after its inception, Israel’s presence in the UAE has grown exponentially. With collaboration in arms, medical cooperation and tourism, it appears as though the Accord has been nothing but beneficial to both parties.
The Abraham Accords made promise upon their agreed terms, and the economic benefits mingled with the culture, showing a harmonious symbiosis forming between the two previously estranged nations. There have been numerous deals announced acrossed a plethora of industries, including banking, cyber-security and food technology between Emirati and Israeli companies. Perhaps one of the most notable deals was the first official deal signed between an Israeli arm of Fluence, a water systems company, and the Dubai-based conglomerate, the Al Shirawi Group. In an interview with the BBC’s Talking Business programme, one of the CEO’s, Thani al-Shirawi commented that, “We spoke the same language… We had the same aspiration and we both wanted to grow. Israel has the technology - they are a few leaps ahead when it comes to the water industry.” The head of Fluence Israel, Yaron Bar-Tal, also hinted for the potential for business to promote peace, stating, “"Business can be the path to peace and vice versa, peace is the path to business so both as an Israeli and as a businessman I feel proud having our products as the path to the peace there." Moreover, on August 31st, the first commercial flight between the two countries, and the first Israeli flight approved to cross over Saudi Arabian airspace departed from Tel Aviv to arrive in Abu Dhabi, and on October 20th 2020, a mutual visa exemption agreement was announced, meaning both Emirati and Israeli citizens could travel freely between the two without obtaining a visa. Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, tourism between the two nations continued to bolster both economies, with estimates of 60,000 Israeli tourists entering Dubai in December of 2020 alone, as well as envoys of business people flowing back and forth. As a result, more cultural strains of the deal have emerged, with Kosher grade food now becoming widely available throughout the Emirates, and two gyms now open to teach the Israeli art of self defense, Krav Maga. Moreover, Israeli footballer Dia Saba joined the Emirati football club of Al-Nasr in September 2020, becoming the first Israeli to play in the Gulf States.
In February of 2021, the UAE’s capital city, Abu Dhabi, held the 15th edition of its biennial International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX). Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, IDEX is an international defence exhibition and conference within the MENA region, in which nations demonstrate their latest defence technology across the land, sea, and air sectors. It’s primary focus as a tri-service defence exhibition is to, “establish and strengthen relationships with government departments, businesses and armed forces throughout the region.” The 2021 edition of the conference saw many nations participating for the first time, such as Azerbaijan, North Macedonia, and most controversially, Israel. In the months prior to this conference, it is evident that the military relationship between the United Arab Emirates and Israel had become increasingly fortified. Although historically there had been times where the two nations had collaborated, such as the joint participation to support the Egyptian government during the Sinai insurgency in 2011, the events this past year show collaborations of want rather than a relationship of convenience or obligation. Directly after the Abraham Accords had been signed, Israeli security experts raised concerns that the agreement had been used in order to aid the Trump administration’s plans to sell sophisticated weaponry to the UAE, including F-35 stealth fighter jets. Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied this initially, though it was later alluded to by Israel in October of 2020 that the country would not oppose American sales of weapons systems to the Emirati army. In fact, it is implied that the very establishment of any form of Israeli-Emirati relations comes off the back of talks between the UAE’s National Security Advisor, Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the head of Israel's Mossad, Yossi Cohen.
Breakthroughs in other areas of life have also been met as the result of the Accords, particularly in science, medicine and the arts. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed in September of 2020 between Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science and the UAE’s Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence in efforts to collaborate on research in the field of Artificial Intelligence. The two nations are also allegedly collaborating on the mitigation of COVID-19, with Israel Aerospace Industries and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems reaching an agreement with an Emirati technology company, Group-42, to offer “effective solutions” throughout the course of the pandemic. Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism also publicized a new plan for the annual Qattara Cinema programme in January 2021, announcing the first virtual event in which both Israeli and Emirati filmmakers can collaborate. Under the advisory of deals signed between the Abu Dhabi Film Committee and Jerusalem’s Sam Spiegel School with the Israel Film Fund, eight Israeli and eight Emirati short films will be released.
To many, especially the Western World, this deal has nothing but potential. With speculation that Israel and the UAE are in collaboration to monitor their common enemy, Iran, and regular exchange of imports, the economic promises are numerous. However, human rights groups, activists, and every day citizens around the world show disdain for the neglect of those most overlooked: Palestinians. According to the 2009 census, 1.57% of the UAE’s expatriate population are of Palestinian backgrounds, many of whom still hold the passport. The multicultural demographic, promising employment opportunities, and peace in the UAE made it a safe-haven for Palestinians fleeing their country, and this deal came as a direct slap in their faces. The solidarity between the people of the UAE and their Muslim brothers and sisters in Palestine runs deep, and the majority of citizens morally object to the agreement, but these opinions are otherwise suppressed by the monarchy’s denial of free speech and critique of the government. In recent months, the annexation of Palestinian territories and illegal evictions of the residents of Sheikh Jarrah has become a large topic of mainstream media, with many who had never once even heard of the conflict now gaining insight into the brutal actions of the Israeli Defense Forces. The UAE government, however, remained silent on the issue, despite many hoping that its development of ties with Israel has allowed the Emirates to bargain with Israeli to halt their proposed further annexation of Palestine. It appears to many, as though, that the deal opened a struggle within the Emirati business sector, as the deal became less focused on Palestine and more focused on profit.
One Palestinan resident of the UAE, who chooses to remain anonymous for the purposes of her own personal safety, readily provided her own opinions on the deal, as she was required to remain passive as a place her family once viewed as a safe haven now aligned itself with their oppressor. in order to connote her sense of betrayal and utter disbelief in the situation, speaking candidly, the individual likened her feelings to, “as if you have found out your ex-husband has shacked up with a stripper,” Her grandfather, who was rendered blind in one eye in an attack by a Zionist terrorist group in his youth, had fled his family home at the age of seventeen, when he and his eight-year-old sister ran through the night to seek refuge with relatives in Lebanon under guidance from their father. There had been rumours of ‘de-populating’ of the Muslim neighbourhoods of Palestine, which the individual claimed was a, “politically-correct term to explain ethnic cleansing.” Her grandfather and his sister had planned to stay in Lebanon until these rumours had subsided, when their parents said they would collect them. However, the pair of siblings never returned, and never saw or heard from their parents again. Due to the importance of lineage and family trees, this one individual’s own family tree is over one thousand years old, Palestinians in the UAE will never forget what their families and themselves endured in light of the ongoing conflicts in their homelands, and as a result do not accept what they view as an utter betrayal by their host country.
The Abraham Accord is undoubtedly significant, as business is on track to become the catalyst for peace in the Middle East. With arms deals strengthening regional and global protection against Iran and its proxies, enhanced globalisation and cultural links, and tourism encouraging harmonious coexistence. However, the alleged oversight and apparent abandonment of Palestian lives both in and outside of the UAE remains a striking, yet hushed, point of contention within the Emirates.
