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UAE and Israel Deepen Cyber Security Relations

Dr Mohammed Al-Kuwaiti, head of Cyber Security for the UAE, leads a government delegation to attend Cyber Week conference in Tel Aviv

Dr Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, head of Cyber Security for the UAE, heads a high-level government delegation of dozens of participants from leading Emirati entities to CyberWeek 2023 conference in Tel Aviv last month.

The significant UAE participation demonstrates the growing partnership and deepening ties between the UAE and Israel in the field of cybersecurity.

Dr Mohamed Al Kuwaiti addressed the CyberWeek conference as a key-note speaker in the main plenary panel titled ‘Safeguarding the Nation: Cybersecurity Strategies for a Digital Age”, along with Gaby Portnoy, director-general of the Israel National Cyber Directorate, and several top international government officials.

The UAE delegation met the central cyber stakeholders in the Israeli cyber ecosystem including investors, chief information security officers and top cyber experts, and visited leading cyber labs and R&D centres and startups to explore opportunities to deepen the ongoing partnerships. The visit provided valuable insights into the latest global trends in cybersecurity and allowed the participants to explore potential collaborations and bilateral investment opportunities.

Dr Mohamed Al Kuwaiti said cyber security is a shared responsibility that can never be addressed by one person, organisation or country alone. Instead, it requires mutual collaboration between the private and public sectors, he said.

“Partnership with the industry and academia is critical as it brings all the stakeholders of the digital ecosystem together with a common vision. Our goal is to spread the cyber security culture. The end result will be a more secure, more resilient digital future, not only for the UAE but for our partners and friends,” he said.

Amir Hayek, Ambassador of Israel to the UAE, said this delegation represents the ongoing collaboration between Israel and the UAE in the cybersecurity domain, as both nations recognise the critical importance of a secure and resilient digital infrastructure.

“Israel remains committed to nurturing these relationships and promoting cross-border partnerships in cybersecurity and beyond,” he said. On the sidelines of the Cyber Week conference, the UAE-based EliteCISOs, a global cyber security community, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Israel-based Cyber Together, an Israeli NGO, to expand this global community to Israel. This MoU marks the beginning of a strategic partnership aimed at fostering cooperation in the field of cybersecurity between key professionals in both countries.

The signing event was held in the presence of Dr Mohamed Al Kuwaiti and Oded Joseph, deputy director-general, and head of Middle East Division in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Israel.

“Israel is fully committed to fostering collaborations and partnerships with the United Arab Emirates between the various ecosystems of innovation of our nations. This MoU, a strategic partnership between two leading cyber security stakeholders, further strengthens our relations and represents the shared benefits of the Abraham Accords beyond the relationship between governments to partnerships between organizations and people,” Oded Joseph said.

Under the terms of the MoU, EliteCISOs and Cyber Together will collaborate on various initiatives including knowledge-sharing, joint training and workshops to enhance cybersecurity capabilities, promote the development of a highly skilled cybersecurity workforce and address emerging threats in both the UAE and Israel.

The relationship between EliteCISOs and Cyber Together was initiated and fostered by the Consulate-General of Israel in Dubai as part of its wider effort to establish new cyber-based partnerships between entities in the two countries.

The UAE, a thriving global hub for innovation and technology and Israel, renowned for its cutting edge technological advancements and cybersecurity prowess, are joint in their pursuit of excellence in cybersecurity.

This landmark cyber delegation, organised jointly by the Embassy of Israel in the UAE, the Consulate General of Israel in Dubai and Israel Trade Mission to the UAE, signifies the growing collaboration and friendship between the UAE and Israel in the field of cybersecurity. This growing partnership not only strengthens capabilities but also demonstrates the shared vision of both nations to foster a secure digital landscape that can withstand emerging threats.