Exclusive: Meet Dan Shaham, the Israeli diplomat who strived for UAE-Israel peace

We grew up knowing that there is going to be somebody on the other side, who reaches out their hand and says, come let's do it together, says Israel's acting representative to the UAE.

Before the Abraham Accords shook the entire Middle East, there was a small Israeli mission to the UAE comprised of one person – Israeli diplomat Dan Shaham.

For over one year and a half, Shaham sat in the capital Abu Dhabi where he served as the head of the mission to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), imagining everything he would be able to do if relations between Israel and the UAE were normalised. He had no timeline as to when normalisation would materialise, and whether it would be under his watch.

“You’re there as an Israeli diplomat, you’re so eager to do all of the things that you’ve been trained to do. For 30 years you’ve been looking forward to this moment, and then the first year you are just standing and waiting and looking at all these amazing things that you could have done,” says Shaham.

Before the normalisation of ties, Israel’s modest presence in the UAE (under IRENA) was known to few, and those familiar with this post made sure to keep it under wraps. Shaham arrived to the UAE on his Israeli diplomatic passport, but only a small group of people in Abu Dhabi were aware of his Israeli background. He made sure of it.

Shaham describes how they would sit in various IRENA forums with the Israel sign, and every time he would introduce himself as the Israeli representative, there would be a short pause accompanied by glances of curiosity.

In the months leading up to the Abraham Accords, small and big gestures indicated that something was brewing underground, like the first Israeli athlete to compete under the Israeli national flag, the Year of Tolerance that more openly acknowledged the Jewish community in the Emirates, and more relaxed communication in general. The new atmosphere reflected the changes that were taking place, but nothing could have prepared the Israeli diplomat for the dramatic moment that caught almost everyone off guard.

“Then one day everything changes. Everything developed fully in the last moments, and it’s still developing. Now it’s a different world,” says Shaham.

Since the Abraham Accords were announced on August 18, Shaham’s phone hasn’t stopped ringing. Israelis from all industries and sectors are looking for ways to connect and engage, an entirely new dynamic for the seasoned diplomat who now finds himself overwhelmed with a plethora of requests.

— The writer is a journalist based in New York