A tremendous opportunity

The Abraham Accords created the groundwork for unprecedented growth and prosperity in our region. The energy and pace of the relationship-building over the past year is unprecedented and remarkable. The first year was incredibly exciting and eventful, year two will continue that great trajectory.

The first year of the Israel-UAE relationship was successful, especially considering that it was a pandemic year where travel and some business sectors faced tremendous challenges. Yet, the collaborations and MOUs persisted, and the travelers came by the planeload. I am not sure whether the architects of the Accords could have ever imagined the impressive range of collaborations. From ministers from both countries signing deals about energy and water, to space exploration, to economic agreements, all the way to civil organisations working in the fields of music, art, and theater. The Houbara Wildlife Fund, which protects the national bird of the UAE, signed an MOU with our Nature and Parks Authority. We also believe that our two countries share a commitment in the social services sphere and Supreme Court Justice Richard Bernstein and I are leading an initiative to improve the lives of people of determination across the Middle East. Collaborations have even extended to the field of sports. I had the pleasure of being on a panel once with Yousef Al Otaiba, the UAE’s Ambassador to the United States, who was impressed that a little league team from Israel was flying to Dubai, something they never would have imagined.

We should take stock and feel proud that people are taking this peace forward not only with their hearts and minds, but also with their feet. And there seems to be no sense of slowing down as we head into the future.

Thinking strategically, the future is quite bright from Jerusalem's vantage point and where we see this heading and I believe that tourism and technology will lead the way. Jerusalem, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi are heavily dependent on international tourism. Jerusalem is particularly significant in this arena as the Temple Mount / Haram al-Sharif is one of the holiest sites for Muslims and one which a large majority have dreamed of visiting. When our skies finally open next month, I foresee a new type of tourism that Jerusalem has never known before in significant numbers – the Muslim pilgrims. The city is already creating and preparing the infrastructure for this, and the Arab population in Jerusalem who are represented in large numbers in the service industry can play a significant role in ushering this change.

— Fleur Hassan-Nahoum is the Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem, overseeing the Foreign Relations, Economic Development and Tourism portfolio. She is also the Co-founder of the UAE-Israel Business Council and the Co-Founder of the Gulf-Israel Women’s Forum.