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Something Natural Is Happening Here and Now

About a year and a half ago, the people of the United Arab Emirates and Israel woke up to experience an event that would go down in history — the announcement of the Abraham Accords.

Nothing could have prepared anyone for such incredible news. Nothing could have prepared any of us at the time for the fact that only a short year and a half later, this relationship between our countries, that so many deemed impossible, would feel so natural.

This week, we will welcome President Isaac Herzog for the first official visit of an Israeli President to the UAE. This is another historical moment, one of hope and promise for the continued prosperity of the relationship between our countries. I am convinced that looking back at these important days, we will recognize them as the building blocks of a new world for future generations, a world of peace and tolerance.

When the Abraham Accords were signed, we took off running. Together, we moved quickly to build a solid infrastructure for our mutual futures, with the goal of building a brighter future for our children. We ran with the wind at our backs, fortified by the strength and support of our leaders and the people of both our great nations.

There is still much work ahead. As we move forward with G2G (Government to Government) and B2B (Business to Business) and continue our focus on P2P (People to People), we know in our hearts that the connections created between our peoples, the trust that they are building, and the respect they carry for each other’s traditions will lead the way.

Like many things today, the Covid-19 pandemic may have slowed down the process, but it cannot stop it.

We, as governments, must continue to prepare the ground for success by setting agreements, educating, and presenting and exploring new possibilities available to our nations. We know that this is just the beginning, and we know that it is our responsibility to create a new era for a new region. Our success will be an example to others, who will say “why not us?” and join us on this endeavour.

As Israel’s Ambassador to the UAE, I have seen both sides of this partnership and I can testify that both sides are committed for the long haul.

The wisdom and the tolerance of the UAE’s founders and the UAE’s leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, have shown us that the Israeli leaders have incredible partners to work with. As we build this new world together, we are in fact, creating an impact that will affect the lives of people all around the globe, providing food security, health, education, energy, communication and security for multitudes. Everything we can create and develop together will be shared in order to improve the lives of many others.

For this, we need to take care of our youth, as they are one of the most important parts of building this future. We look to the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME’s), and we recognize them as a vital part of the economic growth that we are facing on both sides.

This is also the perfect time and place to congratulate both governments for establishing the Joint Bilateral R&D Fund, which will bring many SMEs from both our countries to the table with new and fresh ideas that will create innovation and boost our economic relations.

This is how diplomacy is playing a great role in the global economy for the benefit of people all over the world.

As we said: Nothing prepared us for the fact that something so incredible that was once considered to be impossible would feel like the most natural thing in the world. What a privilege to be a part of it!