Bilateral trade between Israel and the UAE increased by 11% last year despite regional tensions caused by the war in Gaza..
Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel said on Wednesday that the landmark Abraham Accords will be expanded in the coming years with additional Muslim countries reaching peace agreements with the Jewish state, amid growing ties with Gulf countries.
The remarks, coming on the five-year anniversary of Israel’s relations with the United Arab Emirates, the first of four Muslim countries to make peace with Israel as part of the historic 2020 accords during the first Trump administration, reflect a growing diplomatic consensus over a major geostrategic shakeup on the horizon after nearly two years of turbulence triggered by the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on southern Israel.
“We understand that in the next years the Abraham Accords will be expanded,” Haskel told JNS from the Emirati capital of Abu Dhabi at the culmination of a three-day visit marking the inauguration of ties five years ago.
During her visit, Israel’s second highest diplomat met with senior Emirati government officials, including Ali Rashid al-Nuaimi, chairman of the Federal National Council’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee; Foreign Minister Noor al-Kaabi; and Minister of State for International Cooperation and Emirati-Israeli relations Reem al-Hashemi. She also was the keynote speaker at a conference sponsored by the European Leadership Network (ELNET), an NGO dedicated to strengthening Europe-Israel relations, where she praised the UAE for unequivocally condemning Monday’s deadly shooting attack in Jerusalem.
