Lapid puts working noses out of joint in the UAE

The Abraham Accords are perhaps the greatest diplomatic achievement of former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and it was widely recognized by Foreign Minister Yair Lapid in his speech at the opening of the Israeli Embassy in Abu Dhabi.. Lapid and Prime Minister Naftali Bennett know that they have to prove themselves on Diplomatic level, and one of the ways to do this is to strengthen relations with the Gulf states, as if fulfilling the message to Netanyahu: “Thank you for what you did, we will take it from here.” The diplomatic and strategic importance of these relations is especially great against the background of the possible return of the United States to the nuclear agreement with Iran, which, in addition to its great economic importance, worries Israel and the Gulf states. Partial diplomatic success During Lapid’s visit, the Israeli embassy in Abu Dhabi and the consulate in Dubai were opened, and he met with a number of ministers, led by Emirati Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed, but it was from the commercial side of the visit that there were conflicting notes that angered some senior businessmen in the United Arab Emirates. Those people who are behind major investments in Israel, are upset that Lapid has not met them, despite attempts to arrange such a meeting. One businessman told Globes, “The Secretary of State preferred to meet with influencers on the Internet who have tens of thousands of followers, rather than businessmen who have the ability to invest billions in Israel,” they were told, due to lack of time, the Minister’s office gave The priority of meeting influencers over meeting with businessmen, and even that was eventually scrapped. The same source said that if the agreements between Israel and the UAE were related to the economy and trade, this should have been evident during this visit as well. Among the businessmen involved are some of the Al Naboodah and Al Tayer families, which are among the eight most powerful families in the country. These two families were the first to start investments in Israel and buy companies, some of which are in the process of being completed. After the cancellation, a senior executive of the Al Naboodah Group sent a letter to the Secretary of State’s office on behalf of all businessmen involved, the text of which reached Globus. It is reported that the Al Naboodah family has been one of the largest investors in Israel, particularly in the technology sector, for 25 years, and more since the signing of the Ibrahim Agreements. The letter’s writer is trying to persuade the Foreign Minister’s office to hold the meeting with representatives of the Al Naboodah and Al Tayer families and with the giant corporations RTA and Dewa. Related: Lapid signs a new economic agreement with the United Arab Emirates Lapid inaugurates an Israeli embassy in Abu Dhabi A senior Israeli source familiar with diplomatic and economic contacts with the UAE and the Gulf states told “Globes” that the basic rule for such contacts is to show respect, and that in this case , according to the rules of conduct of these wealthy families, they were humiliated. “It is not that they will cancel the planned investments, but they are expecting an appropriate attitude from the new government, and you must understand the way to the hearts of businessmen here. If you want their wealth, you have to respect them and adhere to the customary code of conduct.” In response, Lapid’s office said that he and his Emirati counterpart had met with businessmen from the UAE who had been invited by the UAE government. There was no comment on the cancellation of the meeting with business leaders. In recent weeks, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs has accelerated contacts to strengthen economic relations with the UAE with the idea that this will help the program out of the coronavirus crisis, and out of an understanding of the strategic and economic importance of the agreements. The incident of Lapid’s visit indicates that there is room for improvement in dealing with the Gulf states. Other than that, Lapid’s visit is considered a success, and the Abu Dhabi government has made great efforts to portray it as such. The visit was widely covered, and an interview with Lapid was also published by the Emirates News Agency (WAM) in other media outlets. Lapid told Globus during the trip that its main purpose was economic. “We are in a difficult period from an economic point of view, with solutions to deficits and budgets, and the answer is economic development – this is what is happening here. Relations with the UAE and diplomatic and trade agreements are a real win-win for both sides. The goal is to expand economic and trade relations even with countries that we do not have relations with. With it at the moment. And we intend to expand these relations with Sudan as well, and with the countries with which we have relations under the radar.” Lapid and his Emirati counterpart signed a comprehensive trade and economic agreement that elaborates in more detail the principles contained in the Ibrahim Agreement. According to government ministries on both sides, since the signing of the agreements last fall, trade between Israel and the UAE has reached 2 billion shekels, not including services and tourism, and these two items add hundreds of millions of shekels at least. More than 200,000 Israelis have visited the UAE since the agreements were signed. The service sector has grown significantly. An indication of this can be found in the data of the Israel Export Institute, which shows that cybersecurity, fintech and other services take up a larger and larger slice of Israel’s exports. By the end of the decade, a State Department official said, trade between Israel and the UAE was expected to measure in the tens of billions of dollars. Published by Globes, Israel business news – en.globes.co.il – July 1, 2021 © Copyright Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2021