AAPI Newsletter: February 2022

With a shared vision, AAPI is proud to welcome ISRAEL-IS to its growing constellation of regional partners.

Seeking to spur dialogue between young Muslim, Jewish and Christian leaders in the Middle East and build on the emerging ties forged by the recent Abraham Accords, the Washington-based Abraham Accords Peace Institute (AAPI) signed a memorandum of understanding with the Tel Aviv-based NGO ISRAEL-is during a special ceremony last weekend in Marrakesh, Morocco.

Taking place on the sidelines of the Leaders of Tomorrow Summit, a forum that brought together young Israeli and Moroccan leaders, the two organizations said the new arrangement would bolster such interactions and help the parties develop sustainable innovation projects, build additional cultural exchanges and promote influencer delegations between Israel and Morocco, as well as other Arab countries — primarily the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, wrote Ruth Marks Eglash of Jewish Insider.

Since the signing of the Abraham Accords, Israel has signed 47 international agreements as defined by the Vienna Convention of 1969 with Abraham Accords countries (18 with Bahrain, 20 with the United Arab Emirates, and 9 with Morocco). This high number of diplomatic agreements, which itself represents only a sub-set of the total agreements signed between public and private Israeli entities and counterparts in Abraham Accords countries, is one of the many reasons that the architects of the Abraham Accords were recently nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. February 2022 saw the momentum behind the deepening of ties between Abraham Accords countries increase further.

A number of historic diplomatic visits occurred in February. Israel’s defense minister visited Bahrain where he signed a historic defense agreement and Israel’s Prime Minister became the first Israeli Prime Minister to ever visit Bahrain, where he met with Bahrain’s King and Crown Prince. Israel’s Police Commissioner became the first ever Israeli police commissioner to visit the United Arab Emirates and members of the United Arab Emirates Federal National Council visited Israel’s Knesset for the first time. Finally, Israel’s Minister of Economy visited Morocco and signed a trade deal.

As has been the case since the signing of the Accords, February saw numerous additional deals get signed that promise to deepen the economic relations between signatory countries. Notable agreements were signed in the fields of luxury goods, healthcare, defense, financial technology, high-tech, and tourism. 
February also saw cultural ties continue to deepen, with sporting exhibition matches occurring, Israeli artwork featuring in a Fine Art Festival in the UAE, the space agencies of Israel and UAE publishing a joint-call for space-based research proposals, along with many other initiatives.

Below you can find a full timeline of notable Abraham Accords related events that occurred in the month of February 2022.
 

February 27, 2022- ISRAEL-is “Leaders of Tomorrow” delegation to Morocco. 
February 24, 2022- The Israeli Diamond Exchange opened an office in Dubai:
February 23, 2022- A major Israeli energy company announced its plans to conduct exploration activities in Morocco.
February 23, 2022- Arc Solutions, a Dubai-based telecom infrastructure solutions provider, signed an agreement with Israel's leading internet service provider (ISP) and IT solutions provider, Bezeq International (BI), to deploy its network in Bezeq's data center in Tel Aviv.
February 21-23, 2022- Three Israeli defense companies participated in the 5th annual Unmanned Systems Exhibition (UMEX) in Abu Dhabi, the first time Israel will be participating.
February 21, 2022- Israel’s Minister of Economy Orna Barbivai visited Morocco and along with Moroccan Trade Minister Ryad Mezzour signed a trade agreement between the two countries intended to broaden cooperation and facilitate investment. 
February 15, 2022- Bahrain Institute for Peals and Gemstones (DANAT) and Israel’s Malca-Amit signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate in the fields of transporting and storing luxury goods.
February 15, 2022- The Association of Gulf Jewish Communities celebrated its one-year anniversary.
February 14, 2022- Bahrain and Israel signed an agreement in the field of high-tech and science.
February 14, 2022- Israeli technology firm ThetaRay and Bank Mashreq of the UAE announced that the Emirati bank would use ThetaRay’s financial crime detection tool.
February 13, 2022- Israel Aerospace Industries and Morocco agreed to a Missile-Defense Deal.  
February 12, 2022- Former Senior Advisor to the President of the United States Jared Kushner and former Assistant to the President and Special Representative for International Negotiations Avi Berkowitz were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for their work as leading negotiators for the Abraham Accords.
February 12, 2022- The space agencies of Israel and the United Arab Emirates published a call for joint space-based research proposals.
February 8, 2022- Israel and the UAE signed a healthcare partnership whereby physicians from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center will establish a center for disaster medicine in Abu Dhabi.
February 8, 2022- Israel’s Tourism Minister and the UAE’s Minister of State for Entrepreneurship signed an agreement that will focus on increasing tourism between the two countries.
February 7, 2022- Members of the United Arab Emirates Federal National Council (FNC) visited Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, for the first time since normalization and visited Yad Vashem.
February 6, 2022- Israel’s Police Commissioner visited the United Arab Emirates, becoming the first ever Israeli police commissioner to visit the United Arab Emirates
February 4, 2022- The Ras Al Khaimah Fine Arts Festival opened, featuring Israeli works for the first time.
February 3, 2022- Israel’s Sheba Medical Center and UAE’s Medcare Women & Children Hospital in Dubai hosted a first-ever joint educational online seminar to enhance learning on women’s care.
February 2-3, 2022- Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz visited Bahrain where he met with senior officials including H.M. King Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa and signed a historic security cooperation agreement. One result of this agreement is that an Israeli Navy officer will be permanently stationed in Bahrain, representing the first time an IDF officer is stationed in an Arab state.
February 2, 2022- The UAE and Israel participated in a paddle tennis exhibition match at Expo 2020 Dubai as part of the #AbrahamAccordsGames
 

The upcoming months will doubtless see the momentum behind the expansion of relations between Accords countries continue to increase. Abraham Accords related events addressing the potential of the Accords will occur within the region, internationally, and virtually. Additionally, dozens of conferences will occur within the region. These events will be hosted or attended by Accords member nations, feature the display of innovative technology and ideas that promise to facilitate regional cooperation, and result in new agreements being signed. Below you can find a timeline of notable events in the upcoming months which are likely to demonstrate in one way or another the continued progress the Abraham Accords has made possible.

January 31- March 14 - Tikkun Olam Makers Abraham Accords Open Innovation Challenge
February 28-March 3, 2022- 20 Israeli companies will participate in a delegation to Dubai, organizations by the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, the UAE Embassy in Israel, and the Dubai International Chamber to match Israeli companies with Emirati strategic investors.
March 3, 2022- Fifth Annual Derasat Forum. Manama, Bahrain.
March 7-9, 2022- Middle East Energy. Dubai, UAE
March 8, 2022- Atlantic Council: Panel Discussion on Building a new Middle East: Promoting tolerance through education.
March 14-16, 2022- Dubai International Humanitarian aid and Development Conference. 
March 16, 2022- UAE-Israel Business Council in partnership with GEMS event: “Relocation to an Abraham Accords Country”
March 17, 2022- Purim
March 21-23, 2022- Gulf Information Security & Information Conference. Dubai, UAE
March 21-31, 2022- Sharaka will visit various college campuses in the United States to discuss the Abraham Accords and the changing Middle East
March 22, 2022- UAE-Israel Business council event in partnership with the US Embassy to Israel: “Logistics in the new Abraham Accords Region”
March 26-27, 2022- Israeli American Council (IAC) in Washington DC is launching a teen entrepreneurial mentorship program- Eitanim “Meet Me in the Middle (East)”. Washington, DC.
March 29-30, 2022- International Mediterranean Tourism Market. Tel Aviv, Israel
March 30, 2022- The future of Manufacturing- IL. Conference
April 2-May 2, 2022- Ramadan
April 17, 2022- Easter