Israel's Foreign Min. Lapid makes historic trip to UAE while challenges persist in region
The month of June and July 2021 has shaped up to be a historic series of weeks in Israel-Gulf relations. However, there are still many challenges and hurdles, not the least of which is the changing dynamics in the region.
Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid made a historic trip the UAE at the end of June. This comes a little more than a year after the first flights came from the UAE to Israel in 2020 carrying humanitarian aid for the Palestinians. Those symbolic flights were part of a process that included an oped by UAE ambassador to the US Yousef al-Otaiba in June 2020. Now a year later Lapid’s trip to Abu Dhabi helped cap a year of important diplomacy, of which the Abraham Accords was a crowning achievement.
Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid meets with United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi. (Israel MFA)
According to a text from the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs Lapid underlined the following key points. “This is an historic moment. And it is a reminder that history is created by people. People who understand history but are willing to change it. People who prefer the future to the past. We are standing here today because we chose. Peace over war. Cooperation over conflict. The good of our children over the bad memories of the past.” He met with Abdallah Bin Zayed, Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates, Noura Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Youth Khalid Belhoul, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, United Arab Emirates Ambassador to Israel Mohamed Al Khaja and several important individuals were in attendance, including the Ambassador of Canada, Marcy Grossman, and the Charge' d'Affaire of the United States in the United Arab Emirates, Sean Murphy. Lapid wrote an oped with his UAE counterpart. Talks may be underway to do an event for the one year anniversary of the Accords.
The Israeli team that came to the UAE included Alon Ushpiz, Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Eitan Na'eh, Charge' d'Affairs of the Embassy of Israel to the United Arab Emirates. The visit was announced in mid-June and came off without any postponements, unlike previously scheduled trips by former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The trip was widely praised and seen as cementing ties between Israel and the UAE.
There are many issues that remain to be resolved. These include UAE interest in seeing progress on Israel-Palestinian issues. The UAE has said that it agreed to the Abraham Accords as a way to prevent Israel from annexing parts of the West Bank. While that process has ended, there are questions about what comes next regarding Israeli-Palestinian discussions. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas met. with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in early July. This was important because Turkey has tended to back Hamas and take a critical view of Israel’s policies. It has also been critical of peace and normalization between Israel and the Gulf. This meeting comes after Hamas also met with Russia’s Foreign Minister in March and after the May conflict between Israel and Hamas. Egypt has played a key role in helping end that fighting. Jordan has praised Israel’s new government as presenting an opening to better relations. According to journalist Lahav Harkov “Jordanian King Abdullah told new Israeli President Herzog that he is satisfied by the new Israeli government's efforts to put relations between the countries back on track, in a phone call tonight.” Towards that end the new Israeli government has agreed to provide the Kingdom with more water.
Former MK and journalist, and policy fellow at Mitvim Ksenia Svetlova wrote at Ynet that Israel cannot continue to ignore Jordan, noting that Lapid had spoken to foreign ministers of Egypt and Bahrain and made an official visit to UAE, while Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has already talked to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
These diplomatic developments illustrate several patterns. Israel has now inaugurated an embassy and consulate in the UAE, making practical progress on the ground. However on the larger issues of expectations about the Abraham Accords there are several complexities. One is a sense that the new US administration, as well as the Gulf, want to see progress on Palestinian issues.
Another set of controversies revolves around questions that have been raised about whether the Biden administration is working to cement Israel-Gulf ties to build on the normalization agreements, nor whether it is putting cold water on some of the Trump administration’s policies, such as the Abraham Fund. Reports, such as this one at Globes, say the US has frozen interest in this fund. On July 8 a report noted “the enthusiasm surrounding the Abraham Accords, particularly the seemingly flourishing relationship between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, seems to have taken a backseat following reports that none of the economic projects promised by the U.S. as part of the agreements have take off the ground. “
Other reports say that there is now less interest in Saudi Arabia in the Gulf peace agreements, although many of these reports rely on sources that have an agenda. What policy disagreements between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi mean for these issues is not yet known. Experts who follow these issues closely hope that news of a rift will soon pass.
These controversies and others are part of the process that ebbed and flowed after the normalization agreements were signed last year.
Outside the political and diplomatic front, other community, business and people-to-people relations continue. to flourish. The Association of Gulf Jewish Communities has taken off with events and social media reports on weekly shabbat times and other important details. They will be holding a Tisha B’Av virtual event on July 18 featuring Rabbi Adam Mintz. Ambassador Houda Nonoo continues to inspire with her weekly posts about shabbat and other details. She noted on July 10 that “Bahrain has been ranked as the 12th safest country in the world.” On July 3 Michael Sussman wished everyone a “shabbat shalom” from the “beautiful beaches on Sadayaat Island in UAE. In Arabic Sadyaat means happiness, which makes this greeting for a restful Shabbat from the ‘Island of Happiness.’”
In early June the first images of progress on the Abrahamic Family House, Abu Dhabi's multi-faith place of worship, appeared. “New images show the foundations of the church, mosque and synagogue being built on Saadiyat Island. The names of the three houses of worship have been revealed as Imam Al Tayeb Mosque, St Francis Church, and Moses ben Maimon Synagogue,” an article at The National noted. See more details here.
According to Gulf-Israel Green Ventures there was also great news from the Gulf on cooperation as Abu-Dhabi based ADQ’s venture capital arm “DisruptAD, was a lead investor in Israeli cultivated meat startup @AlephFarms's $105 million Series B.” This relates to food security issues. Al Arabiya highlighted the importance of Greentech. “As the first anniversary of the US-brokered Abraham Accords nears, the UAE and Bahrain are continuing to expand bilateral relations with Israel with huge collaborations in the field of green technology, an expert told Al Arabiya English. The deals are expected to surpass $500 million over the next five years, according to Asher Fredman, CEO of Gulf-Israel Green Ventures. ‘And that is a conservative estimate,’ he said,’ the article noted.
Abu Dhabi continues to lead in efforts to provide kosher food for visitors.
A fire at Jebel Ali port was brought under control quickly.
On July 6 Bahrain's Crown Prince and Prime Minister, received Ambassador Khaled Yousef Al-Jalahma, Bahrain's new Ambassador to Israel.
There were positive developments in Morocco-Israel relations as Moroccan air force C-130s landed in Israel. At the same time Israeli F-35s practiced with their UK counterparts, a British ship HMS Richmond that is part of the Queen Elizabeth carrier strike group docked in Haifa, and Israeli, Italian, US and UK F-35s practiced in Italy last month. Brad Bowman at FDD and Seth J. Frantzman wrote an article arguing that Egypt and the UAE should be added to the annual Noble Dina naval exercise.
Reports say that Abu Dhabi’s Department of Health Social and Daman Insurance have partnered with Israel’s Clalit Health, “the world’s second largest healthcare services provider, supporting AbuDhabi’s efforts to become a leading life sciences hub and medical tourism destination.”
Robert Greenway, President and Executive Director of the Abraham Accords Peace Institute, visited the House of Ten Commandments in Bahrain with Houda Nonoo. He wrote that it was a “testament to the vision of the Kingdom’s leadership, the commitment of its citizens to peace, the triumph of faith, and hope of the #AbrahamAccords.”
Meanwhile, as Israeli defense companies prepare to showcase their latest technology in Greece at DEFEA, following challenges they faced getting to IDEX, Ephraim Sneh has argued at Ynet that Israel should supply the Gulf with air defense. “With U.S. set to withdraw air defenses from its allies in the Mideast, Jerusalem must step in and offer its own, opening the way for genuine dialogue and overt cooperation in the region, as well as providing military defense industry with greater resources to develop even better systems.”
With Greece and the UAE growing closer, it should be noted that in Greece Israel’s SIBAT “will conduct its activities and support the 20 Israeli industries participating in the event via its own pavilion. The Israeli companies participating in this event are global leaders in their fields: Elbit Systems, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), RAFAEL, Aeronautics, Smart Shooter, AITECH, Astronautics, Bagira, Bet Shemesh Engines, Double Shoot, EMTAN, Nir Or, PLASAN, Israel Shipyards, IWI, Meprolight, Camero Tech, Uniscope, Uvision, RT,” according to the Israeli Defense. Ministry.
Meanwhile DMCC, the world’s flagship Free Zone and Government of Dubai Authority on commodities trade and enterprise says it “welcomed 1,230 new member companies in the first half of 2021, the best 6-month performance since 2013. This builds on DMCC’s strong performance in 2020, during which the business district attracted 2,025 new businesses supported by DMCC’s relief packages offered during the global pandemic.”
In another unique event, Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre Program Manager Mr. Adnan AlRais “charted the trajectory of the U.A.E. space program and opportunities for partnership in the years ahead during a webinar co-hosted by the U.S. Commercial Service and the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council. This webinar, which also featured speakers from Northrop Grumman and Jacobs, is part of the U.S. Commercial Service’s Discover America trade talk series,” according to the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council.