Israelis, Emiratis meet in Dubai to discuss investments

At the luxurious Armani hotel inside the world’s tallest skyscraper in Dubai, Israelis and Emiratis gathered to discuss investment opportunities

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- At the luxurious Armani hotel inside the world's tallest skyscraper in Dubai, Israelis in kippas and Emiratis in long white robes and kanduras gathered Wednesday to discuss investment opportunities. They aimed to make the most of deepening ties nine months after the two countries agreed to formalize relations. There was extremely little mention of the Palestinians or the fact that barely two weeks ago, Israel was a country still at war. Rather, the conversations were laser-focused on business. Several Israeli and Emirati speakers opened their remarks with both the Hebrew greeting of “Shalom” and the Arabic greeting of “Salam.” They spoke about boosting tourism, creating jobs, technology sharing, diversifying economies and tackling issues of water scarcity. Since the UAE and Israel formalized ties in September, tens of thousands of Israeli tourists have come to the UAE — mostly to Dubai or in targeted visits to the capital of Abu Dhabi.