Abraham Accords is not history, it is the future: Dr Ali Al Nuami

Dubai - The UAE and Israel normalised ties after the signing Abraham Accords in September last year.

Abraham Accords is not history, it is the future. It is not about any two countries, but for the whole region, said Dr Ali Al Nuami, Member, UAE Federal National Council for the Emirates of Abu Dhabi and Chairman Defence Affairs Interior & Foreign Affairs Committee, at the Global Investment Forum 2021 organised by Khaleej Times in Dubai on Wednesday.

“This is an agreement that shows how to counter hate and intolerance. In the UAE, we understand that terrorism and extremism are not a threat to one country or a region. It is a threat to all of us, the whole world. No single nation can counter it alone,” said Dr Al Nuami.

Similar sentiments were echoed by Eitan Naeh, Israeli Ambassador to the UAE. The UAE and Israel’s relationship will withstand any challenges because the two countries enjoy support that is based on long-term vision and strategic needs, said the Israeli Ambassador to the UAE.

“I think the relationship between Israel and the UAE is a consensus in Israel. It doesn’t matter which government is in force in Israel, who is the Prime Minister or the foreign minister. This relationship has got very wide public support in Israel and we saw around 85,000 Israelis visiting Dubai when the flights were launched last year, which proves this,” said Naeh.

Israel and the UAE have recently signed a double-taxation agreement and also announced opening of an Israeli trade office in Abu Dhabi soon. “I hope that in the next few days we will be able to see more agreements signed, ratified, and come into force. I am excited to see more B2B exchanges between Israelis and Emiratis. I am looking forward to see Emiratis meeting Israelis in Israel, when flights resume.”

The UAE and Israel normalised ties after the signing Abraham Accords in September last year. Since then, the countries have been building trade ties and cultural bridges between the Arabs and Jews. “It is all about education. Before signing the Abraham Accords, we first prepared our people, we educated them. We talked about peace and why it is important for prosperity of all,” said Dr Al Nuami. “We should speak one language, the language of peace. There should not be war. This is my message to politicians in our region. You say you want peace. You say you are willing to sign peace agreements. But you do not prepare the ground for peace. For peace, you must first change narrative among young people, change narratives,” he said.

Since the signing of Abraham Accords between the UAE, Bahrain, and Israel, two more countries in the region have normalised ties with Israel.