Kosher Iftar Dinner in Belgium Celebrates Abraham Accords

Credit: excerpts from ejpress.org

Seven additional weekly flights will be operated by Emirates airline between Tel Aviv and Dubai in light of growing demand, highlighting the fast development of not only government and trade ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates but also cultural and people to people relations since the two countries normalized their relations in 2020 in the wake of the Abraham Accords.

Many Israelis and Jews from around the world travel to Dubai for holidays as a direct result of the Abraham Accords.

The people to people relation was also at the center of an Abraham Accords celebration Iftar dinner which took place in Brussels on Wednesday in the presence of ambassadors from the signatory countries of the Abraham Accords, the United Arab Emirates, Israel, Bahrain, Morocco and the United States.

The dinner celebrating the accords was organized by the European Jewish Community Centre (EJCC), led by Rabbi Avi and Nehama Tawil in Brussels at the European Union Institutions, in the framework of its program to promote intercultural peace and dialogue.

“There are more Kosher restaurants in Dubai than in Brussels,” noted Israel’s ambassador to the EU and NATO, Haim Regev, during a conversation with his colleagues from the other Abraham Accords countries.

“More than a half million Israelis have visited the UAE since 2020,” he stressed. “I didn’t anticipate that. This is different from the peace with Egypt and Jordan,” said Regev, who was the diplomat who opened the first Israeli mission in the Gulf in Mascate, Oman, several years ago.

UAE’s Ambassador to Belgium and the EU, Mohamed Al Sahlawi, said that his country wanted the peace with Israel “to be a warm peace and not a cold one.”

“After so many years of not talking to each other, I think there is a lot of curiosity to know more of each other,” he said, mentioning the fact that his country is building the first synagogue in the country which is part of an interfaith complex that includes a mosque and a church in Abu Dhabi.

“The UAE and Israel are two of the most dynamic ‘start-up’ economies in the Middle East,” he added.

Relations between Israel and Morocco are also blooming. “The most symbolic and tangible example, in addition to the fact that the two countries have signed multiple cooperation agreements in various sectors, is the fact that there are direct flights between the two countries,” said Allal Ouazzani Touhami, Morocco’s Deputy Chief of Mission to the EU and NATO.

One million Israelis are of Moroccan origin. “Before when they wanted to visit their country of origin they had to go via third countries. Today they can come directly,” he noted, insisting that the Jewish community “is part of our heritage and of our identity.”

“Our relationships with UAE, Morocco and Bahrein go beyond the bilateral ones,” said Ambassador Regev. He mentioned joint ventures with the UAE in Africa and Asia. Israel, Morroco and the EU have also signed a trilateral agreement on water management.

But the Abraham Accords also share common security interests and challenges coming from Iran and terrorism.

The dinner was followed by the presentation of the “Abraham Award 2023” to the ambassadors of the signatory countries.

Among them was the U.S Ambassador to Belgium Michael Adler, whose country brokered the accords. He said it was important for him “to be here to celebrate Ramadan but also because of the importance of the Abraham Accords.” The United States plays an important role because its relationship with Israel is a priority. “The fact that Israel is recognized by other countries, and particularly Muslim countries, is an important success,” he said.