Page 38 - Jewish News_October-2020

38 October 2020 ISRAEL & THE JEWISH WORLD

How about a modest deal with Israel?

The UAE official smiled at us…and said no

By Jason Isaacson, August 16, 2020
From David Harris, AJC CEO: It was by no means our first meet- relations? The one Middle East state that had
American Jewish Committee (AJC) has ing. AJC has been traveling regularly The “why” of our request was proven, once again, its will and capac-
been visiting the United Arab Emirates to the Gulf for more than 25 years, and simple: After years of laying out the ity to confront its own gravest strate-
(UAE and other Gulf Arab countries had first come to know this particular case – in Abu Dhabi and 10 other Arab gic threat – and that of the UAE – was
for more than 25 years. We have seen official when he held a different port- capitals – for normalized relations with Israel. The lesson could not have been
up close the positive evolution of inter- folio 20 years earlier. We had always Israel, yielding not only a range of clearer. The official we met in Abu
est in developing ties with Israel and discussed the possibility of communi- benefits for their own populations, but Dhabi in December left my colleagues
some notable examples of them in ac- cating more directly and openly with also the prospect of leverage to help and me with the impression that it was
tion. The UAE-Israel announcement to Israel, and of exploring areas of poten- the Palestinians in negotiations for an only a matter of time before his gov-
establish full relations is both exciting tial cooperation. independent state, my colleagues and I ernment would enter into an open part-
and transformative. But our conversation this time, had tired of asking the impossible. We nership with Israel.
Jason Isaacson, AJC’s Chief Policy more than a year after two Israeli min- had set our sights lower, and even the It would be wrong, however, to
and Political Affairs Officer, has been isters had paid visits to the UAE for modest proposals we had put forward cast the historic announcement on
our chief point-person for outreach to international events – a judo competi- were rarely seized. August 13 by President Trump, UAE
a number of Arab countries, and led tion and a telecommunications confer- But times had changed. A year Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed
countless AJC delegations to meet with ence – and six months after the Trump earlier, in October 2018, Sultan Qa- and Prime Minister Netanyahu that the
top officials in their capitals, or in New administration’s “Peace to Prosperity” boos of Oman invited Israeli Prime UAE and Israel would normalize rela-
York and Washington. workshop in neighboring Bahrain, was Minister Netanyahu to visit – the first tions as one that was based solely on
Recognizing AJC’s unique advo- different. The official was ready for such head-of-government visit to a security considerations.
cacy role, The Times of Israel asked more. Gulf state in more than 22 years. A Quietly but steadily, commercial
Jason to write about the UAE-Israel re- I asked the official if his gov- few months before that, Saudi Crown activity between the countries had
lationship. I encourage you to read and ernment was willing to pursue the Prince Mohammed bin Salman had been growing for more than a decade.
share widely his insightful and beauti- possibility of concluding a “non-bel- spoken openly of Israelis’ “right to Israeli technological prowess in critical
fully written op-ed, which the paper’s ligerency” agreement with Israel, a have their own land.” The then-Bah- sectors was known and admired – and
opinion editor called “fantastic.” proposal that had been suggested by raini foreign minister, Shaikh Khalid was a prominent subject of discussion
* * * the White House to several moderate bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, in the course of in AJC visits over the years, in which
fter the roar of his approach- Arab states and promoted by then- hosting last summer’s workshop, had we would meet and have detailed talks
ing helicopter quieted and he Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz. given interviews on Israeli television. with not only government officials and
Awalked into the stately Abu He looked at me and my colleagues, Closer to home, the Iranian threat policy analysts, but business leaders,
Dhabi meeting room where I and a smiled broadly, and said no. was growing. In June of last year, a as well. Israelis with other passports
small group of American Jewish Com- Why, the official asked us, were U.S. surveillance drone flying over were not infrequently sighted in Dubai
mittee colleagues awaited him late last we aiming so low? Why, he wanted to Gulf waters was shot down by Iran, hotel lobbies.
year, the senior Emirati official settled know, should his country not dispense and two oil tankers were attacked south Also uniting the Emirates and Is-
in for a long and frank discussion about with baby steps and set as its goal of Hormuz. Three months later, Irani- rael was and remains a shared commit-
regional threats and opportunities. the establishment of full diplomatic an drones and missiles attacked Saudi ment to combating extremism – as well
Aramco facilities in Abqaiq and Khu- as a shared celebration of diversity. No
rais. None of these attacks elicited an government initiative more perfectly
immediate military response. Two represents that defining Emirati char-
months after that, however, when Ira- acteristic than the plan announced last
year to undertake construction of a ma-
nian Quds Force units in Syria fired
A memory missiles toward Israel, the IDF re- jestic “Abrahamic Family House” in
sponded with a furious counterattack,
Abu Dhabi, with a mosque, a church,
destroying Iranian missile and Syrian
and the first synagogue built in the
anti-aircraft batteries.
continued on page 39

THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE SIGN UP TO

A Federation Tribute is a heartfelt way GET THE SCOOP WEEKLY!
to honor the memory of someone
special—and to let their families
know you care.

To order,
call Bonnie at

941.343.2115

Or visit
jfedsrq.org/tribute

DON’T MISS OUT!

Registering for The Jewish Federation’s weekly email newsletter
means you won’t miss out on important community information.
Go to JFEDSRQ.org and Click the
GET UPDATES button at the top of the page.