UAE sponsors a massive conference in Jerusalem to promote normalisation
The largest conference to support normalization with Israel and to promote it in Arab and Islamic countries will be held next week in occupied Jerusalem, sponsored and funded by the United Arab Emirates.
The UAE aims to establish itself as a pioneer of normalization in the region by supporting a conference organized by the Israeli Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs that will bring together academic and intellectual figures from 30 Arab, Islamic, and African countries.
Emirates Leaks has learned that the UAE has provided generous financial support to the Israeli conference to attract a wide range of participants and present it as an advanced step towards the consolidation of normalization.
Participants in the conference will discuss the prospects for expanding and enhancing the Abraham Accords for normalization and potential areas for Gulf-African-Israeli partnerships in counter-terrorism and national security.
Officials from the UAE will participate in the conference while seeking to ensure the participation of representatives from Bahrain, Chad, Ethiopia, Ghana, Iran, Jordan, Kenya, Kosovo, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritania, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, South Africa, South Sudan, Somalia, Tunisia, Turkey, and Uganda.
The free trade agreement between Israel and the UAE recently came into effect after both sides signed an agreement to reduce customs duties to around 96% on products. The two sides reached the agreement for the first time last May, and at the time, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said it would allow Israeli companies to participate in government tenders held by the UAE.
The UAE ambassador to Israel, Mohamed Al Khaja, said on Twitter that the UAE expects the free trade agreement with Israel to “double bilateral trade, improve the standard of living, and lower prices of goods.”
The free trade agreement between Israel and the UAE is the first of its kind with an Arab country and is expected to increase the annual volume of bilateral trade to more than $10 billion over time.
