(New York Times) Thomas L. Friedman - In the middle of a global pandemic, at least 130,000 Israeli tourists and investors have flown to Dubai and Abu Dhabi since commercial air travel was established in October 2020. Unlike the peace breakthroughs between Israel, Egypt, and Jordan, which were driven from the top and largely confined there, the openings between Israel and the Gulf States are now being driven from the bottom by tourists, students and businesses. A new Hebrew language school that holds classes in Dubai and Abu Dhabi has been swamped with Emiratis wanting to study in Israel or do business there. Israel's Mekorot National Water Company just finalized a deal to provide Bahrain with desalination technology. If the Abraham Accords broaden to include Saudi Arabia, we are talking about one of the most significant realignments in modern Middle East history.
2021-03-04 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive