Emirates ends boycott of Israel
Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, emir of Abu Dhabi and president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), issued a decree on Saturday lifting the boycott on Israel following the historic agreement reached a few weeks ago whereby the Gulf country and the Hebrew state decided to re-establish mutual diplomatic relations, under the mediation of the United States.
The decree submitted repeals Law No. 15 of 1972 and the penalties linked to breaches of the boycott, according to the official Emirate news agency WAM.
This regulation reflected the position widely held by the Arab nations at the time that recognition of Israel and the lifting of the embargo against it would only come after the Palestinians had an independent state of their own. "The decree is part of the UAE's efforts to expand diplomatic and trade cooperation with Israel and to draw up a roadmap for launching joint cooperation that will lead to bilateral relations to stimulate economic growth and promote technological innovation", according to WAM.
The end of this measure against Israel makes it possible for individuals and companies to establish agreements with companies and individuals from the Israeli country or resident there, or working on behalf of the Hebrew nation wherever they may be. It also allows the entry, exchange, possession and trade of Israeli goods within the Emirates, including oil-rich Abu Dhabi or Dubai, a major financial centre whose airport, home to the Emirates airline, has been the busiest in the world for international travel for years.
On 13 August, Israel and the United Arab Emirates sealed an agreement to normalise diplomatic relations on condition that Israel halt the annexation of parts of the occupied Palestinian West Bank. The ultimate goal is to pacify the Middle East region and find a solution to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, which for many players on the international scene is the implementation of the formula of two states that can live side by side. This pact made the UAE the third Arab country, after Egypt and Jordan, and the first Gulf country, to have diplomatic ties with Israel. This is also partly thanks to the mediation of the United States, which is attempting to encourage the rest of the Arab countries to accept Israel as a diplomatic interlocutor. Indeed, Mike Pompeo, the US secretary of state, recently conducted a tour of the region to secure further support for this initiative.