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Mossad Director Yossi Cohen on Monday was expected to travel to the United Arab Emirates. This would be the first high-profile visit by an Israeli since the shock announcement of the historic deal to normalize ties between Jerusalem and Abu Dhabi. Cohen is slated to meet with top government officials.
Already, the effects of the deal are taking shape, with telephone calls now permitted between the two countries. Moreover, Israeli news websites that had previously been blocked by UAE authorities can now be accessed by people living in the Gulf state.
Meanwhile, Israel’s Ministry of Economy has estimated that the formalization of ties could be worth hundreds of millions of dollars a year to Israel in trade and investments. Exports to the UAE, which currently stand at around $300,000 a year, could jump to an annual $300-$500 million, with technology, medical and financial companies likely leading the charge.
And proving that the agreement has the potential to foster real co-existence between the peoples of both countries, Israeli pop star Omer Adam has reportedly been invited to perform in the UAE. Adam is one of Israel’s most famous singers, with his “Shnei Meshugaim” single viewed over 61 million times on YouTube, and numerous other singles racking up over 30 million views.
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The secretary general of the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council has condemned “threats” by Iranian officials directed at the United Arab Emirates over the signing of a peace agreement with Israel.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani over the weekend made his position eminently clear, saying that the UAE had made a “huge mistake” that constituted a “betrayal.”
In response, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Anwar Gargash, said: “The UAE-Israeli peace treaty is a sovereign decision not directed at Iran. We say this and repeat it. We do not accept interference in our decisions.”
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In response to the launching into Israel of incendiary balloons that caused widespread fires, in addition to renewed riots along the Gaza border fence, IDF tanks overnight Sunday struck Hamas observation outposts. Earlier in the day, Israeli soldiers thwarted an attempt by Palestinians in the West Bank to hurl Molotov cocktails at worshipers near Rachel’s Tomb.
Over the past 36 hours, Hamas’ arson terrorism has caused at least 28 fires in the area surrounding the Gaza Strip, the National Fire and Rescue Authority reported. This month, some 150 blazes have created huge amounts of ecological damage.
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Finance Minister Israel Katz commented on the country’s financial setbacks as a result of COVID-19, following the release of a report by the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (ICBS). “The economic situation is the most difficult in the state’s history,” Katz told Israel’s Army Radio. “We have taken broad steps to establish an economic safety net,” he added.
According to data published by the ICBS, Israel recorded its worst economic performance in over 40 years. GDP dropped a record 28.7% in the second quarter of 2020; the importation of goods and services plummeted by 41.7%; and private consumption sank by more than 43%.
Israel’s economy has been struggling amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which has forced the government to restrict freedom of movement and business activity. This included a nationwide lockdown during March and April that was imposed with a view to curbing the spread of the disease.
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Israel partially reopened its skies to incoming and outgoing flights, following months of closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a plan published last week by the Israeli government, those entering Israel from “green countries” will no longer be required to quarantine upon entry. Israelis will be permitted to fly to Greece, Bulgaria and Croatia, but will need to be tested for COVID-19 before traveling and will have to remain isolated upon arrival until the results are received.
So, will airfares spike to make up for lost time or will they be cheap in order to attract reluctant tourists? The same question applies to hotels and attractions, and Israeli start-up Fetcherr may have cracked the pricing code. Using artificial intelligence that amalgamates hundreds of data sources, Fetcherr’s founders say their tool can predict prices up to a year in advance with 90% accuracy. So far, the company has run its algorithm on 1.5 million randomly selected items on Amazon.com and found that its price predictions were correct when they checked back two weeks later.
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The Jewish Agency estimates that a quarter of a million immigrants will arrive in Israel over the next five years, based on the dramatic increase in interest in aliyah seen in the months since the outbreak of COVID-19.
The Jewish Agency and other organizations have experienced a massive rise in the number of people seeking information about immigrating to Israel, with the former saying it received some 90,000 calls in the first half of 2020. There was a 31% increase in inquiries from Western countries.
Recommended Content
- Home at last: Why did the Jews make aliyah? (Dov Lipman, HonestReporting)
- Peace and cooperation: A new path for Israelis and Emiratis (Khalaf Ahmad Al-Habtoor, Arab News)
- Hamas incendiary balloons are ecoterrorism (JPost Editorial)
- A wake-up call for Abbas (Oded Granot, Israel Hayom)
