The United Arab Emirates also rebuked Israeli Police
By Nosson Shulman: Licensed Tour Guide of VIP Israel Tours & Authentic Virtual Tours (click here to check out his free trailer videos)
Prior to the start of Passover 2023 as Israelis were preparing to celebrate, extreme Muslim worshippers on the Temple Mount rioted and illegally barricaded themselves in the Al Aqsa Mosque (where Muslims today claim is their third holiest site) with weapons and explosives. Israeli police were also violently attacked and had no option but to enter the Temple Mount and arrest the terrorists to restore calm. As expected, the “condemnations” of Israel came from the usual sources including Muslim countries, the UN and some of Israel’s “allies”, hardly newsworthy. However, in a rare move, the United Arab Emirates also condemned the Muslim extremists. After giving their usual rebuke of Israeli police, the UAE foreign ministry added “worshipers should not barricade themselves inside the mosque and places of worship with weapons and explosives.” A comment like this from an Arab country, even ones having good relations with Israel, is almost unheard of and a sign of the growing strength of the ties between the Middle Eastern countries.
This began in August 2020, when then President Donald Trump announced that Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were to sign a peace treaty, a deal he was instrumental in negotiating. In quick succession, the Trump administration would then subsequently broker deals between the Jewish State and Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco (collectively known as the Abraham Accords). For the first 72 years, only Egypt and Jordan had made peace with Israel, with those deals leading to nothing more than a cold peace between their governments, practically limited to (important) security cooperation. The rank-and-file population of Israel’s two neighbors have largely rejected the treaty, and being identifiably Jewish is still dangerous in those countries. This particular treaty, however, has turned out to be a game changer.
Less than 3 years into the treaty, in addition to excellent government relations, there is general goodwill towards Israelis on the streets of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Hundreds of thousands of Israelis have visited the Gulf country as Israelis may travel freely to the country, with no particular attempts made to hide their identities. For Torah observant Jews, wearing a clearly visible yarmulka, black hat, or exposed Tzitzit on the streets is the new norm (certainly a rarity in most of “civilized” Western Europe today). There are also Kosher restaurants opening, including a new one inside of the Burj Khalifa (currently the world’s tallest building). Synagogues too are being built with the encouragement of the Royal family, who maintain excellent relations with the fast-growing Jewish community. Recently, some antisemitic content has been removed from school textbooks and curriculum, although that is still a work in progress (and much remains to be done). As reported here, the countries recently signed a lucrative free trade agreement (the Jewish State’s first with an Arab country) which has already resulted in billions of dollars of trade. Both countries have opened embassies in their respective countries ((for more on that, click here).
Although much remains to be done in the attitude of the Arab world towards Israel, even in the UAE, the fact that criticizing the Palestinians (albeit with kid gloves and still reserving most of its harsher criticism for Israel ) is less taboo, demonstrates the strength and influence of the Abraham Accords as compared to previous “peace” treaties.
Nosson Shulman is a journalist and Licensed Tour Guide in Israel specializing in Biblical tours. To allow tourists to experience Israel during the Corona era, he created the new hit Israel tour video series which brings Israel to the home of viewers by simulating actual tours. To check out his free sneak preview tour videos, click here. To view sample tour itineraries or to inquire about private tour opportunities with a personalized itinerary on your next trip to Israel, click here.
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