One month into the job, Israel's head of mission to the UAE told The National that diplomacy and trade between the two countries is moving with "breathtaking speed", despite delays caused by the pandemic.
Eitan Na’eh took up the role in January, a few months after the UAE and Bahrain agreed to normalise relations with Israel in a historic peace deal. His title is temporary because the Israeli government is in transition ahead of elections, and the new ambassadors have not yet been confirmed.
The 57-year-old career diplomat believes the accords will one day include other Gulf states.
“We hope that these relationships will serve as model for other countries, who will see that something that only a few months ago was unthinkable, is possible.
“We can do it with other countries. It depends on political will. The stars will have to align. But I'm pretty confident that it's only a matter of time.
"Something pretty big has happened, pretty historical. We are starting to understand what happens next, but we are in the eye of the storm of this positive development. It is only the beginning.”
Things that took us years in other places are taking months here
The Abraham Accords were signed by the UAE, Bahrain, Israel and the US at the White House on September 15, 2020.
Mr Na’eh is keen for the pact to lead to greater prosperity and inclusivity.
“It will benefit those taking part in it, and those who are not yet taking part in it," he said. "It's not a union of the like-minded ganging up against anybody.
“I'm often asked about the Palestinians. They are not left out; they'll be amongst the first to enjoy the fruits of [the accords]. I'm getting calls from Palestinians from Jordan, Palestinians from Nablus, Israelis from all over the place.”
This week, the UAE appointed its own ambassador to Israel. Mohamed Al Khaja, 40, was sworn in by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, on February 14.
Mr Na’eh wished him well. “He’ll be treated very warmly, very openly in Israel, and I think that both of us together will be able to co-operate closely.
“It is great to have suits on the ground in both Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi.”
Greater trade links
As the ink dried on the Abraham Accords, entrepreneurs from the UAE and Israel started discussing deals.
Bilateral trade started almost immediately and reached Dh1 billion ($272.3m)by January.
On November 8, the first commercial flight from Israel landed in Dubai, packed with businesspeople and tourists, and this week Jewish communities across the Gulf created a formal association to unite people of the faith in the GCC.
“We touched the ground running,” Mr Na’eh said.
“Due to Covid, we arrived with a skeleton staff. So everybody's doing everything. We’re jack of all trades at the moment; busy setting up appointments, learning about the place, setting up an embassy from scratch, organising the embassy residences. All that takes a bit of an effort.
"Things that took us years in other places is taking months here.”
Mr Na’eh formerly served as ambassador to Turkey from 2016 to 2019, and previously headed up the embassy in Azerbaijan. He also worked as deputy head of mission in London.
Looking into 2021, he sees a bright future for both countries, despite the pandemic.
"We are still at the discovery stage, and every time we dig, we find another area in which we ought to co-operate.
"Medicine, education, agriculture, agritech, water tech, construction – you name it, we have an interest. The synergies are huge.
"When you start discovering new trade routes, when you find out you can co-operate on research and development centres to find a cure or treatment for Covid-19 or cancer – these are live examples of what’s on my desk at the moment," he said.
In the meantime, he is settling into life in a new country,
“I hadn't travelled to the UAE before, but I feel very, very comfortable,” he said.
“One can feel the warmth, the hospitality, the curiosity, the wish to make friends very quickly, the enthusiasm.
"I’m not just saying this to be nice. Hospitality is part of the DNA here.”
Signing the Abraham Accords
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
Top tips
Create and maintain a strong bond between yourself and your child, through sensitivity, responsiveness, touch, talk and play. “The bond you have with your kids is the blueprint for the relationships they will have later on in life,” says Dr Sarah Rasmi, a psychologist.
Set a good example. Practise what you preach, so if you want to raise kind children, they need to see you being kind and hear you explaining to them what kindness is. So, “narrate your behaviour”.
Praise the positive rather than focusing on the negative. Catch them when they’re being good and acknowledge it.
Show empathy towards your child’s needs as well as your own. Take care of yourself so that you can be calm, loving and respectful, rather than angry and frustrated.
Be open to communication, goal-setting and problem-solving, says Dr Thoraiya Kanafani. “It is important to recognise that there is a fine line between positive parenting and becoming parents who overanalyse their children and provide more emotional context than what is in the child’s emotional development to understand.”
Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
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Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
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Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
The five pillars of Islam
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Race card
6.30pm: Handicap (TB) $68,000 (Dirt) 1,200m
7.05pm: Meydan Cup – Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (Turf) 2,810m
7.40pm: UAE 2000 Guineas – Group 3 (TB) $125,000 (D) 1,600m
8.15pm: Firebreak Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (D) 1,600m
9.50pm: Meydan Classic – Conditions (TB) $$50,000 (T) 1,400m
9.25pm: Dubai Sprint – Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,200m
RESULT
Al Hilal 4 Persepolis 0
Khribin (31', 54', 89'), Al Shahrani 40'
Red card: Otayf (Al Hilal, 49')
