Emirates Leaks: Emirati researcher joins an Israeli newspaper to promote normalization
The Hebrew media group Israel Hayom announced the joining of Najat Al-Saeed, an Emirati researcher and journalist, to its team.
The move comes within the framework of promoting the growing media normalization between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv.
The Hebrew press group stated that Al-Saeed would act as a political commentator and columnist for the daily newspaper.
Al-Saeed writes a column for the UAE newspaper, Al-Ittihad, and participates as an analyst for the American Arabic-speaking satellite channel Al-Hurra.
Al-Saeed is an Assistant Professor at Zayed University in Dubai, Department of Media.
She also worked as an editor for women’s magazines on women’s rights, education, art and health.
Israel Today is one of the most extremist and racist newspapers in Israel, and it is close to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Memorandum of Understanding
On the seventh of last month, a new agreement was announced between the UAE and Israel targeting the media sector.
This is through the signing of a memorandum of understanding for suspicious objectives, based on strengthening the coalition to promote normalization between them.
Private sources revealed to Emirates Leaks that the signed memorandum includes not hosting characters opposing the normalization, as well as focusing on a plan to impose relations with Israel and market them in the Arab Gulf region.
The sources indicated that the memorandum includes not broadcasting news of Israeli violations and crimes against Palestinians in the Emirati media.
It also highlights the Israeli narrative in exchange for blocking the Palestinian narrative and what is related to the Israeli occupation and its daily practices.
The same sources stated that the memorandum also includes giving a wide space for Israeli speakers through the Abu Dhabi Media Group’s media institutions and promoting the beautification of the image of Israel.
Hebrew channel
Israel-based i24 News and Abu Dhabi Media Group announced that they had signed a memorandum of understanding to “develop content” and “provide reciprocal news coverage” for the two media organizations’ staff.
The memorandum of understanding between i24News, which broadcasts in Arabic, English and French, and Abu Dhabi Media Group, a public service media company that provides services to Abu Dhabi and Abu Dhabi Sports Channels and Abu Dhabi Radio Network, allows for “exchange of coverage in the news, current issues, reports and content production” with an emphasis on the Arabic language.
The founder and CEO of i24News, which was launched in 2013, Frank Mallol, affirmed that the partnership represents “a step that will allow the expansion of our activities as a pioneering partnership in the Middle East, the region whose events we cover extensively.”
“This partnership embodies the many opportunities that the Abraham Agreements gave us,” he added, a term used to refer to the normalization agreements between Israel and the UAE and Bahrain.
Malloul expressed comfort with this “historic” partnership and its service for media marketing of Israel’s external image, Emirati support and involvement.
For his part, Acting General Director of Abu Dhabi Media Group, Abdul Rahim Al-Bateh, claimed that the media partnership with “i24 news” contributes to “developing productive capabilities to provide distinct and targeted media content.”
The Abu Dhabi Media Group was established in 1969. Its work is focused on digital content and has various platforms across television, radio, newspapers, and magazines.
It is considered one of the “Holding” subsidiaries. It is one of the largest holding companies in the Emirates and owns a diversified portfolio of large institutions operating in significant sectors within the non-oil economy in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
